California Palms 16, Boston Guard 15

Palms: Ally Mastroianni’s scoring, Sam Geiersbach’s feeding lead Palms to nailbiting victory

It was the Mastroianni show for the Palms on Wednesday, but Geiersbach (2G, 5A) led the charge before her teammate started cooking. 

Geiersbach opened the game with two quick assists to Maggi Hall (1G) and Isabella Peterson (1G, 1A). The 2022 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player followed her two first-quarter assists with two second-quarter goals. 

“I think it’s kind of crazy we were labeled underdogs, but we embraced it,” Geiersbach said. “We kind of showed everyone that sure we’ll take underdogs, but we’re not.”

The underdogs opened the scoring in the second half courtesy of a beautiful connection between Geiersbach and Mastroianni. 

Between the dominance of that duo, Erin Bakes obliterated a few corners en route to a four-goal night. 

“There’s so much happening so fast,” Mastroianni said. “I think you kind of have to take that deep breath and really rely on each other and our strengths.”

Once Mastroianni took that breath and settled in, she never looked back. 

The 2022 IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year led all Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League players with 49 touches after one game. The Palms needed her to have every single one. 

“We have one of the best midfielders in the world on our team, and it’s been an absolute blessing to spend some time and pick her brain and see how she’s led this team,” head coach Adam Sear said postgame. 

The biggest key to unlocking Mastroianni was the transition game sparked by netminder Taylor Moreno, who had three assists -- two to Mastroianni. Her outlets sparked the quick offense for California and killed momentum for Boston. 

“She’s like my quarterback,” Mastroianni said about Moreno. “She could make that perfect pass, and that was definitely a strategy that we were thinking about going into this Sixes format.”

Moreno also added 11 saves to her tally, with multiple major ones killing Boston’s momentum in the contest. 

Despite its success in Game 1, California knows it must take the week one day at a time. 

“This is so much fun to be a part of this and there will probably be a few more learning lessons when we watch the film and kind of move forward in the next 24 hours,” Sear said. 

Up next for California: vs. New York Charging (Friday, 7 p.m. ET)

Guard: Streakiness, struggling special teams hold them back Boston

After giving up the first two goals of the contest, Boston went on a rampage, scoring four straight and showcasing its potent offense. 

However, the Guard's story was the constant flip from red-hot to ice-cold. Careless penalties, which led to multiple goals for California, were a significant factor in the long dry spells Boston had to endure. 

“I think we got in some foul trouble, and that set us back a little bit,” head coach Laurie DeLuca said. “We had a couple of one-minute penalties, a couple of 30-second penalties, and we were just talking about this in the locker room; it felt like when there was an opportunity to go ahead by three goals, we gave them a ball back or we didn’t place our shot -- or their goalie made an excellent save, and then they came down and scored.”

The Palms capitalized on the Guard's mistakes, converting all five powerplay opportunities. Many of the goals thwarted the runs the Guard were trying to spark. 

Boston wasn’t as successful on the powerplay (2-of-5). Charlotte North and Cassidy Weeks paved the way with five goals apiece. 

North opened the first half with a hat trick but didn’t net her fourth until 55 seconds left in the third quarter. North’s cold spells were a significant factor in the Guard’s streakiness.

“We didn’t do enough offensively to win that game, so we’re going to take a lot from that game and be ready to come tomorrow,” North said. 

North’s 33 touches led the Guard, but in future games, the emphasis will need to be on getting the ball to the game’s biggest superstar more frequently. 

Weeks was a force across the field, with three ground balls in addition to her five goals. Her hustle was needed to keep Boston in the game. 

There’s a clear goal to maintain possession and finishing opportunities for Boston. 

“Moving forward, we have to do a better job of possession and capitalizing when we do have the opportunities,” DeLuca said. 

Up next for Boston: vs. Maryland Charm (Thursday, 9 p.m. ET)