The Woodbridge High girls’ golf team has reached the Pacific Coast League finals after three dominant wins over Sage Hill High, University High and Irvine High. The team won nine out of 15 matches, and their biggest win came against Laguna Hills in a dominating 329-193 win.

As they look forward to the Pacific Coast League Finals, the players that made league finals prepared themselves mentally for the biggest match of the season.

“To prepare for league finals, we had a practice round as a team at the golf course to see what the course was like,” sophomore Claire Ahn said.

However, while achieving their success, the team had a fantastic bonding experiences and plenty of fun during the regular season.

“My favorite part of the season was probably when our whole team took public transportation to one of our matches and got boba after we won. It was a great bonding moment with the team and I feel like we all got a lot closer than we had the year before,” sophomore varsity girls golf finalist Taylor Ro said.

While the happiness of making league finals fueled the team, they still have to overcome a big mental and physical challenge of competing in the California Interscholastic Federation tournament.

“Making league finals was exciting, but also pretty scary because there were a lot of good players this year and I didn’t have a high chance of making it past the league finals to CIF individuals,” Ro said.

Though making history by making CIF boosted the team’s morale, they also were sad for their teammates competing for the last time on the green. When asked how the league finalists felt when they got the news that they were moving on, they seemed to have mixed feelings.

“After the last match, I was happy that we finished off with a win and to have placed third in the league as a team. But I was also a little sad because it was the seniors’ last match,” Ahn said.

After playing grueling league matches back to back, the league finalists used the short break before the league finals to relax and perfect their craft.

“I made sure to practice the things I had been working on and getting well-rested before the tournament,” Ahn said.

Similarly, senior captain Elizabeth Ma brought her skill and leadership to the team, taking the time and effort to better herself and the players around her.

“Oftentimes after matches, [Ma] will be on the putting green helping out newer players, working on their putting game to help shed strokes off their scores,” head girls golf coach Andrew Parker said.

Two seasons ago, the girls’ golf team was around the bottom of the Pacific Coast League, but through hard work and strong coaching, the team found its path back to the top.

“The girls’ team went from league champions to near the bottom in the Pacific Coast League in my first season, as most of our starters had graduated the previous season,” Parker said.

When asked what caused the major turnaround in the team’s record, coach Parker credited his captain for leading the team by example.

“[Ma] never complained once about the change in the team dynamics, she never got frustrated in any of the matches. Instead she put the team on her back and even won us a few close matches that year with her exceptional play,” Parker said.

The team’s early losses didn’t faze them. Instead, they used those losses to practice harder and improve their weaknesses.

After losing to Sage Hill High in the season opener by only six strokes, the team went on to win three straight games and outscored their opponents by a total of 158 strokes.

After achieving such a great feat that will be in Woodbridge High’s history books forever, the team’s message to future girls’ golf players is very simple;

“I hope future girls on the golf team are able to have a memorable experience and have the opportunity to meet new people. I think that being on a team gives a different perspective on golf as it is usually an individual sport. Ahn said in an emphatic way, “and good luck!”

It is undeniable that the future of the Woodbridge High girls’ golf team is bright, and this season was surely one to remember.