Nitro playoff runs ends

It took just two years for the Glendale High girls’ lacrosse team to qualify for the postseason after becoming a CIF sanctioned team late in 2010.

The Nitros didn’t pick up any wins during their inaugural campaign, but that didn’t serve as a setback in their second season. Glendale finished third in the Prep League and earned a spot in the postseason.

Glendale saw its historic season come to a close Wednesday night with a 14-5 loss to host Agoura in a Southern Section Northern Division second-round match.

Glendale Coach Joe Campbell said the defeat didn’t put a damper on what the Nitros accomplished.

“We are very thrilled to have gotten this far,” said Campbell, whose team posted a 10-5 first-round victory against Birmingham on Monday. “Agoura just has a few more skilled players than we do, but our players competed hard and that’s what I wanted to see.

“We went 0-10 last season and then we are able to go all the way to the second round. They learned what it took to play at a higher level and you could see the difference in them getting better each game.”

Glendale (9-11, 2-5 in league) received three goals and one assist from senior midfielder Elena Pierce. Jenna Nance and Elline Deogracias contributed one goal apiece for the Nitros, who got eight saves from goalkeeper Linda Perez.

The Chargers jumped out to a quick 3-0 advantage early in the first half before Pierce scored two quick goals to shave the deficit to 3-2 with about 14 minutes remaining. However, Agoura closed out the first half on a 6-1 run to take a 9-3 halftime lead.

Pierce said the Nitros picked up momentum after her two goals, but the Chargers proved to be too experienced.

“You get back to within one goal and it’s almost like you are starting over,” Pierce said. “It’s a great experience to just have gotten this far and we continued to grow.

“We hope that we’ve set an example for the younger players to take the program to the next level.”