The Bucs field hockey team wrapped up a noteworthy regular season by defeating La Jolla Country Day on Tuesday while extracting a little bit of revenge at the same time. The victory gave Mission Bay a 13-4 record and came versus the team that bounced them in the semifinals last year and finished on top of the league standings this time around.

“It was nice to beat them because they also beat us earlier this season,” said head coach Kris Auer. “We won our league last year, but we do a lot of things better now than that team did.”

The Bucs opened the season winning four of its first five matches before falling on the road to La Jolla High School on Sept. 19. Mission Bay followed that by going on a five-game winning streak before back-to-back losses to LJCD and Clairemont, but ended with four victories in a row starting with a 5-0 win over Patrick Henry on Oct. 18.

“We pass the ball a little bit better and we are more dynamic on the attack,” Auer added. “We were solid last year and we’re good again this year.”

Among the standout players in 2024 are Alison Jones, Linnea Liljenstrand-Mjoen, Kaelyn Walters, Malayah Warner, and goalie Elizabeth Gangolea, who have helped raise the level of play on offense and defense.

As for who the Bucs will face in the first round of the playoffs, their opponent will be known on Saturday, Nov. 1 when the seeding is made official.

“We are excited to see what we’re going to do in the playoffs,” said Auer. “We’ve got a lot of good players and hope to take the CIF championship this time. This season had its ups and downs with some tough losses and gritty wins, but the team has finished on a high.”

According to MaxPreps, Mission Bay is ranked 22nd statewide, just a few spots behind LJCD, which is ranked 16th. The most lopsided win for Mission Bay came in its 7-0 victory over Otay Ranch to open the season on Aug. 27.