Junior Taliyah Johnson makes a defensive stop.

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - After starting off slowly to begin their season, the Cordova Lady Lancers flag football team earned their first win of the year in convincing fashion with a 42-0 victory at West Campus on Thursday, Aug. 29.

The Lady Lancers (1-5) would score on their second possession of the contest with a nine-yard shovel pass from sophomore quarterback Becca Lee to fellow sophomore running back/wide receiver Sophia Carlson. The barrage of points would continue from there on out against the Lady Warriors (0-2), with senior safety Mashayla Carter returning an interception back 40 yards for a touchdown midway through the first half. To follow that up, senior safety Layla Ramirez would snag an interception on the ensuing West Campus drive, allowing Lee to connect from one yard out to senior center Saniya Strong for another score. Cordova would enter halftime with a 22-0 advantage that proved to be too much for the Lady Warriors to overcome.

The second half saw much of the same, with Ramirez accumulating two more interceptions on back-to-back West Campus drives, including one returned nearly 60 yards for a touchdown. Ramirez, who tied a team single-game record with three interceptions, also tied for the team lead in tackles with five. She was given the teams' customary "MVP Chain" to wear following the contest, leaving Lady Lancers head coach Garrett Roth eager to heap praise.

"She tied the school record in our short history of three interceptions in one game, and you can't ask for much more from your safety," Roth said.

The scoring in the second half would continue with Lee adding a six-yard touchdown run, as well as a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Taliyah Johnson. Lee would finish an impressive 11-of-16 passing for 116 yards, with three touchdowns and just one interception to go along with her rushing score. Roth has been impressed with his young signal caller in her first season of flag football, and sees a bright future ahead.

Sophomore offensive weapon Sophia Carlson stretches for extra yards.

"Super impressive," Roth said of Lee. "She's a great player in two other sports already (basketball and softball), and we got her to come out here to play flag football this year. She's about three weeks into playing the sport and she's battling it up with completion percentages rivaling an NFL quarterback. It's awesome to see."

After the game, the jubilation from the Lady Lancers was evident as high fives and compliments flooded the team huddle. For Roth and his group, getting their first win after some early season struggles was much needed.

"It feels good," he said. "We got the monkey off our back. It feels nice to break the barrier. We had high hopes coming into this one, and we came out and executed well. I'm more proud of their effort today than anything."

Cordova hosts visiting Del Campo at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 inside Lancers Stadium.