Miramonte Lacrosse Wins First Title After 3-7 Start

The Miramonte High School boys lacrosse team started their 2026 season with a brutal 3-7 record, barely scoring more goals than they allowed. By season's end, they were hoisting the school's first-ever North Coast Section championship trophy.

The turnaround story began with adversity. The Matadors lost six of their ten starters to injuries at various points early in the season, including four-year starter Derek Youn to a severe ankle sprain the night before their first game.

But something shifted after spring break. New assistant coach Drew Virk, who played at the University of Maryland, introduced fresh offensive and defensive systems that clicked once the injured players returned healthy. The team won 10 of their next 11 games, more than tripling their scoring while cutting opponent goals by half.

Miramonte entered the Division 2 NCS tournament as the third seed. They methodically defeated Sonoma Valley, then beat Piedmont and top-seeded Terra Linda in rematches of early season losses. The championship game against Terra Linda wasn't even close, ending 13-4.

Sophomore Trey Murphy led the offense with 57 goals despite missing games with injury. Senior David Roman, who also played football, earned Team MVP for his two-way play as a midfielder who could score and defend.

The defense proved just as crucial. In the semifinal against Piedmont, they shut out their opponents in the fourth quarter to preserve a one-goal victory. Junior goalie Bowie Hillstrom saved 75 percent of shots in the championship game, earning unanimous all-league honors.

Why This Inspires

This team's journey shows what's possible when adversity meets persistence. Head coach Jake Azevedo had been eliminated in the second round in each of his first three seasons. The seniors on this year's squad mostly started on junior varsity just two years ago.

They grew together through setbacks, learned new systems, and trusted the process even when injuries piled up. Their transformation from a losing record to program champions happened because they refused to let early struggles define them.

With ten seniors graduating, assistant coach Thomas Duffy remains optimistic about building on this breakthrough.