The Inaugural Season

History in the Making

In the spring of 2023, something new came to Aptos High School. For the first time in the school's history, a girls lacrosse team took the field. Coach Stuart Mager put out the call for athletes willing to try something new — and 30 showed up. Most had never held a lacrosse stick. What they lacked in experience, they made up for in numbers and nerve.

There were no traditions to draw from, no past rosters to reference. No older players to show them the ropes. Everything had to be invented — the warm-ups, the drills, the culture — from the ground up.

The first-ever game came on February 22 at Monte Vista Christian. The Mustangs won 16-2, and the learning curve was steep. But in the middle of it all, Aryel Reyes Mager found the back of the net — the first goal in Aptos girls lacrosse history. A program was officially born.

Practices focused on fundamentals — cradling, passing, ground balls. When they needed a goalkeeper, sophomore Gamble Kellermyer volunteered to step into the cage, learning the position from scratch. The pieces were coming together.

Finding Their Footing

The first games were a crash course in competitive lacrosse. A road trip to Soquel was the first real test. The Lady Mariners came up short, but the effort was clear — they competed for four quarters against an established program. For a team that had been learning to cradle three months earlier, that was a statement.

Not even an atmospheric river could slow them down. While the Central Coast flooded, the Lady Mariners were out on the field in the downpour, running drills in ankle-deep puddles.

A boys-and-girls intrasquad scrimmage added some fun to the grind — players traded sticks for an added challenge. The girls jumped out to a 5-1 lead before the boys rallied back. It was the first sign that this team could compete with anyone.

That's a W

Soquel had beaten them once already. The rematch on April 17th was at home — and this time, the result was different. Lindsay Wilson scored the first-ever goal on the Aptos home field, and the Lady Mariners held on for the win. The first victory in program history. The Instagram post said it all: 'That's a W.'

The win over Soquel changed everything. The nervousness of the early season gave way to something louder — confidence. This team didn't just exist. It belonged.

Games against Harbor and Notre Dame followed, each one bringing new lessons and new confidence. The girls were entering the final stretch of their inaugural season with something they didn't have in February: belief.

The First Chapter Closes

Senior Night was a celebration of the pioneers. The spotlight series honored the senior girls who had been there from day one — the ones who said yes to a sport they had never played and helped build something that would outlast them. They didn't come into the program with travel ball experience or club connections. They came because they wanted to try something new. And in doing so, they created a legacy.

The final game of the season ended with a win — the fourth in five tries. 'We are truly proud of what these Mariners did,' the Instagram post read. A 4-1 record in their first year of existence. For a team that started with zero, that was everything.

The inaugural Lady Mariners had done what everyone hoped they would — they showed up, they competed, and they left the program better than they found it. Season two would build on everything they started.