A buzzer beater winning shot during March Madness. Sounds like the NCAA basketball tournament. No, it is Live Oak girls lacrosse.
On March 23, the Acorns hosted a powerful Los Gatos squad. Live Oak charged out to an 11-6 lead by halftime. But the Wildcats rallied back to tie matters late in the fourth quarter. It was 13-13 on a score with 3:11 to play.
The final minute was packed with action and drama. March Madness indeed.
A Los Gatos threat was thwarted with a great save by Acorns’ goalie Mariposa Serrano. The large crowd yelled and screamed.
Live Oak gave the ball to star Amelya Forbis. The clock was running down. Forbis, who had already scored an amazing 10 goals on the evening, ran down the far side of the field, with five Los Gatos players in hot pursuit. The LG players tried to catch up and battle her, but it was futile. Forbis came down to the attacking end of the field and went behind the goal, then swung out in front.
“When I picked up the ball, I knew there were about 44 seconds left,” Forbis said. “There was no time for a drop pass or a foul or any mistakes. I decided I’m going to run it up. I got to the end of the field. I was shooting low all game, and I said I have to bounce it and it went in. It felt awesome.”
The winning tally came with just 11.7 seconds remaining and gave Live Oak a 14-13 win. The bench erupted in joy and soon the Acorns played out the final seconds for the victory.
The contest was a crucial one for Live Oak as they are always looking to prove themselves against the tough competition farther north.
Live Oak is unbeaten in league play for five years running, racking up a 50-0 mark, and is eager to show it can also compete with the private powerhouses of the Bay Area and other strong schools.
“I am proud of this team,” Live Oak coach Zach Sousa said. “It was a good test for us. Amelya being Amelya. Mari (Serrano) made great saves for us. Aleenah (Garcia) had some really good cleans. Leila (Azar) was great. Jordy (Herrera) scored with a hockey shot.”
Up front, Morgan Smith, Ella Leal, Azar, Herrera and Ainsley Stump were strong. In the middle, LO was formidable with Sophie Saade, Forbis and Jessie Jones.
Phoebe DePalma, Roxy Weeks, Abigail DeBenedetti and Keily Orta battled hard. Depth came with Viviana Betterncourt, Jacey Gemo, Leslie Verles, Kali Leaman and Aolani Tovar.
Garcia and Serrano played spectacularly, with Serrano foiling dangerous Los Gatos shots time and time again.
LO is now 8-1-1 this year. Forbis has scored an astounding 53 goals, DePalma has 14, Azar has seven and Saade has six.
The Acorns lost their season opener to Gunn but have rebounded with an 8-0-1 charge in their last nine. They ripped Castilleja 12-5, Mountain View 11-5 and Salinas 13-4.
Live Oak opened Blossom Valley Athletic League play with a 12-0 rout at Willow Glen, tied Carmel 8-8 in a non-league game and then smashed Lincoln 12-1.
Over the past week, they dipped back into BVAL play and belted Leland 12-4 behind five Forbis goals and then bounced Pioneer 18-8.
After 12 minutes against Los Gatos, Live Oak led 4-3. In the second quarter, Forbis sped upfield and split four defenders to toss in a score, Saade converted one and Forbis added two more to extend the advantage to 8-4.
The Wildcats rallied back with two, but the Acorns closed the half with three additional tallies of their own.
“We win as a team, not as an individual,” Garcia said. “Our defense was good. It was key to be talking on defense. And our goalie was saving many plays.”
Los Gatos tightened their defense in the second half and that gave them opportunities to get back in the game. In the final 12 minutes, the excitement, intensity and anxiety ramped up tremendously. The Wildcats scored with 6:36 to play and 3:11 in their big rally. They had come all the way back to a 13-13 tie.
“We started off the game really hot,” coach Sousa said. “But we got a little sluggish and Los Gatos got mismatches on defense.”
Each team had threats in the final minutes. Serrano made another huge save with just under a minute left. The Acorns put the ball in Forbis’s hands—or more accurately, she executed a “ground ball scoop” and took off running, taking it all the way home for the win.
“Teamwork wins games,” DePalma said. “Our team cares a lot about each other. And our passing and our ball movement is really good.”
After beating the Wildcats, the Acorns resumed league play and notched wins over Leland and Pioneer, the two other teams near the top of the BVAL standings. Both were decisive victories. The Acorns’ current goal is to win the league title again, preferably with another undefeated record. They then hope to make their mark in the CCS playoffs.
“We came into this as the underdog,” Forbis said. “Los Gatos is a good school in all sports. They weren’t intimidated for us. But our energy was up. We picked up ground balls, worked hard on the draw and got loose balls.”
An important victory, courtesy of a March buzzer beater. And an opportunity to get familiar with the kind of playoff competition they will see in May.
