Marin Catholic sweeps past Redwood for boys, girls titles

Elsa Greene (2) of Marin Catholic runs past the defense of Phoebe Miller (9) of Redwood during Saturday’s MCAL Girls Lacrosse final at Marin Catholic in Kentfield. PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

Mattias Murdick (0) of Marin Catholic attempts to get past the defense of Matt Holmstrom (2) of Redwood during the MCAL Boys Lacrosse final at Marin Catholic.

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By Derek Wilson

dewilson@marinij.com

Marin Catholic earned a double celebration Saturday as the girls won their first MCAL lacrosse title since 2014, then the boys successfully defended their crown on their home turf. Marin Catholic beat Redwood 9-6 in the girls championship, then the MC boys held off the Giants, 9-3, in a rematch of last year’s title showdown.

The full stories for both games can be found online at marinij.com/sports and will run in Monday’s print edition.

The MC girls snapped a five-game losing streak against Redwood, stretching back to the 2023 North Coast Section playoffs, as the Wildcats (17-4, 9-2 MCAL) upset the top-seeded Giants. Senior Elsa Greene and junior Brooke Spagnuolo scored three goals each for Marin Catholic. Lucia Hobson added a pair of goals and Marlee Nies tallied a goal and three assists.

The girls contest was tied 5-5 at halftime, but Redwood’s normally potent attack fell quiet in the second half. Nies and Hobson scored in the third quarter to give Marin Catholic the edge it needed. Greene tacked on a pair of goals in the fourth quarter for a 9-5 Wildcats lead, before the Giants’ Nina Baker scored a power play goal with under 4 minutes left to play.

Claire Johnson and Riley Buck each scored twice for Redwood (15-4, 9-1), while Lucy Jeffers had a goal and seven draw controls.

The Marin Catholic fans were still celebrating the girls’ win as the boys took the field to continue their rivalry with Redwood.

The Wildcats (17-5, 10-0) led 2-1 before Jake Holmes scored three of his game-high four goals in the second quarter to give Marin Catholic a 6-3 lead at halftime. Marin Catholic’s pressing defense shut down Redwood (12-9, 8-3) in the second half to secure the title. Mattias Murdick netted three goals for the Wildcats, while Chase Ruegg and Auggie Chapman rounded out the scoring.