Carlsbad Boys Lacrosse Plays for First CIF Title in School History Saturday

The Carlsbad High School boys lacrosse team will look to make school history on Saturday, as they try to win the program’s first CIF Championship. 

The Lancers (11-8) will take on top-seeded Westview (19-3) on Saturday at Torrey Pines High School, at 5 p.m. They will look to avenge an early season loss to the Wildcats, who beat Carlsbad 7-6 on the Lancers’ home turf in March.

Junior Spencer Beyer is one of the Lancers main weapons in the midfield. He scored three goals, including the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes left on Tuesday, when Carlsbad beat Pacific Ridge 9-7 in the Division 1 semifinals. 

He knows the importance that making it to CIF Finals is for this relatively new program.

“It feels great because this is the first time we’ve made it this far in the playoffs, let alone going to the championship game,” Beyer told U-T San Diego. “We’re the best team that’s come through here so far.”

The Lancers’ win over Pacific Ridge was especially big, since the Firebirds beat them earlier in the year in an 8-2 drubbing. 

“They guys were pretty fired up to play them again,” assistant coach Dave Demuth, who is also the JV head coach, told Patch. “Our core defensemen came together and shut down Pacific Ridge in 4th quarter.”

They will now face their biggest test in the program’s history in Westview, who lost only 3 games all year and is ranked the 14th best team in the state, according to MaxPreps.com. 

Westview has ripped through the playoffs, beating Patrick Henry and Canyon Crest Academy, each by a score of 14-3. 

“We have stressed to the guys a need to focus back on fundamentals. If we can’t execute on the fundamentals, we won’t be successful,” said Demuth. “Passing and catching needs to come around. Defensively we need to communicate and have our slide packages down (defensive rotations).

“It’s all new to us,” Demuth added. “This is some place Carlsbad hasn’t been before, as a newer program. We are enjoying the ride.”