La Costa Canyon's varsity girls field hockey team visits San Marcos on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. in an Avocado League matchup between two teams sitting at 1-1 in league play.

The Mavericks carry a 7-9-1 overall record into the contest after a Tuesday, Oct. 6, loss to Torrey Pines, 4-0. That defeat snapped a three-game win streak that had pulled LCC out of a rough early-season stretch.

The turnaround started with a 4-1 win over Clairemont on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Mavericks edged Rancho Bernardo 1-0 on Monday, Sept. 28. Then came the largest margin of the run: a 5-0 shutout of Canyon Crest Academy on Thursday, Oct. 1, according to MaxPreps.

Those three wins reversed a rough start. LCC opened the regular season with six consecutive losses between Aug. 22 and Sept. 16, including a 0-9 defeat to The Bishop's School on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and a 0-7 loss to Canyon Hills on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Sophomore midfielder Paige McKenery leads the Mavericks with three goals and six points on the season. Senior midfielder Elle Cannis tops the team with two assists. Senior defender Stella Norwood leads the back line with a 0.00 goals-against average.

Head coach K. DiGiulio's squad is ranked No. 9 in the CIF San Diego Section and No. 7 in Section Division 1 as of Oct. 5, per MaxPreps. The Mavericks also sit at No. 22 in California and No. 286 nationally.

San Marcos enters Thursday's game at 6-7-1 overall and 1-1 in league play, according to MaxPreps standings. The Knights beat Mt. Carmel 2-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 6, but lost to Torrey Pines 3-0 on Oct. 1. Both LCC and San Marcos have dropped their lone league game to Torrey Pines.

In the Avocado League standings as of Wednesday, Oct. 7, San Marcos and La Costa Canyon are tied at 1-1 in league play. Canyon Crest Academy sits at 0-2.

After Thursday's game, LCC travels to Mt. Carmel on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m.