When asked what their goals were at the beginning of the season, the seniors of the girls lacrosse team said that they, one; wanted to beat Bishop O’Dowd, and two; win the Western Alameda County Conference (WACC). With the first goal already checked off of the list, they have been working hard to achieve the second.
Head coach Carleton Chan said the win against O’Dowd was something the players had wanted for some time.
“Beating O’Dowd, for this group of girls, has been the accomplishment that we’ve been talking about since the beginning of the season,” Chan said.
Junior Luisa Cole said the O’Dowd game has been the highlight of her season so far.
“Since my time at Piedmont we haven’t yet beat O’Dowd, so that was my first time and it was really fun,” Cole said.
For most of the players on the team, this was their first win against O’Dowd, as Piedmont had not beaten them in three years, according to MaxPreps.
Following the O’Dowd game on March 22, Piedmont has since taken home two additional wins. On the 28th, in their most recent game, the girls lacrosse team beat Berkeley 12-10, according to MaxPreps. This win makes their current league record 4-0, and places them in first within the Western Athletic Conference League.
“They’re writing their own script,” Chan said. “Everything’s still wide open, and it’s really how much they want to put into it, how much they care.”
Chan said that the team still has lots to work on, but they are one of the strongest teams he has ever coached.
“What has really exceeded my expectations is how well this team has come together,” Chan said.
Over the fall and winter sports seasons, the players were given the opportunity to further mesh and develop their game through the club team Chan created called Hat Trick Lacrosse. Hat Trick consisted of primarily PHS lacrosse players who practiced weekly. The team also competed in two tournaments over the duration of their season, which lasted from August to January.
Cole said that the additional playing time together on Hat Trick helped the team develop a great environment and allowed them to get to know each other better.
“Everyone is super supportive and we’ve been working really well as a team,” Cole said.
Senior Henley Lorin said that the club team helped prepare her to begin her last high school season ready to play.
“I think it honestly helped a lot, because we’ve been playing for months and months now,” Lorin said. “We’re pretty bonded and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Looking to the future, Chan said that the team’s performance has been high enough that they have a good shot of moving further in North Coast Sectionals (NCS) than they have ever before.
“We have a lot of good players with good quality,” sophomore Peyton Watson said. “Both offense and defense have been really strong.”
On April 26, the team will play in the WACC Championship at Berkeley High School. Following the conclusion of their league season, they will be moving onto the NCS playoffs.
“I think these girls can walk away, whether they win or lose, and hold their head up high, because they’ve really put a lot of effort into this season,” Chan said.
