EASTVALE — There were some nervous moments for the Roosevelt girls lacrosse team at the start of Monday’s playoff match.

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Vista Murrieta midfielder Abigail Greiner #27 shoots against Roosevelt in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 girls lacrosse first-round playoff match in Eastvale on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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The Mustangs faced a two-goal deficit in the early stages of the second period. Coach Todd Rigby did not press the panic button.

“We got down early, but I just kept reminding them that there’s still plenty of lacrosse left to play,” Rigby said. “They settled down and got things turned around.”

Roosevelt scored five consecutive goals to take control and post a 9-5 victory over Vista Murrieta in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoff opener.

The Mustangs (20-2-2) play at No. 3-seeded San Juan Hills (13-6) for a second-round match a a date to be determined Tuesday.

“They just keep fighting and always seems to figure things out ,” Rigby said. “They believe and trust each other to get the job done.”

Maelynn Saucedo scored three goals to lead Roosevelt. Sabrina Loughridge, Analiese Casillas and Clare Almirantearena added two goals apiece for the Mustangs, who captured the program’s Big VIII League championship this season in undefeated fashion.

Vista Murrieta (6-14-1) grabbed the early lead Monday, as Allison Briggs cut through the middle, took a pass and fired home the first goal of the match. Roosevelt responded, as Loughbridge scored the leveler and Saucedo added a power-play goal  28 seconds later for a 2-1 lead.

Vanessa Flexen scored three goals to lead the way for Vista Murrieta, two of which came at the end of the first period to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead. Torrey Greiner added a goal during the opening minute of the second period to extend that advantage to 4-2.

Roosevelt clamped down defensively and did not allow another shot in the first half. Casillas scored her first goal of the match to halve the deficit with 4:41 left to intermission, and Loughridge scored with 2:53 remaining on the clock to bring Roosevelt level.

Almirantearena gave the Mustangs the lead in the opening minute of the third quarter, and she added a short-handed goal with 3:36 remaining in the period. Casillas scored her second goal 76 seconds later to complete the 5-0 run and give Roosevelt a 7-4 advantage.

“There were some halftime speeches that were very motivational,” Saucedo said with a laugh. “We had to step up and just stay mentally strong.”

Flexen had a highlight-reel play at the end of third quarter, as she raced up field and fired home a goal from a tough angle to beat the buzzer.

Roosevelt goalkeeper Maddison Sage made seven saves in the match, three coming in the fourth quarter to deny Flexen any more goals.

The Mustangs milked the clock on every possession in the fourth period. Saucedo scored twice in the final 2 minutes to seal the victory.

“No matter what the score was, they kept going hard and scored those crucial goals when we needed them the most,” Rigby said.

Roosevelt was the Division 3 runner-up last season, and the Mustangs carried that momentum into the new season.

“We had never made it past the first round before last season,” Saucedo said. “I don’t think we had the confidence in ourselves before we did what we did. We came into this year with all the confidence in the world. … We’re not scared of anyone.”


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