In the varsity girls’ golf team’s first meeting with the entire Mission League on Sept. 23, the Wolverines experienced their first taste of defeat in the 2014 season, as they took third place out of the league’s 8 teams with a team score of 205 strokes over nine holes at the Hansen Dam golf course. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, led by defending Mission League MVP Sammy Winchester ’15, took first place at 187, and Marlborough (3-2 overall, 2-1 in league), a team in their first season in the Mission League whom the Wolverines haven’t yet faced in dual play, bested the Wolverines for second with a 204 on Tuesday.
Freshman sensation Karina Gou ’18 did all she could to keep the Wolverines in contention, leading the team by going 2-under par with 35 strokes, only one shot off of Winchester’s league-best 34. Fellow freshman Josie Baker ’18 was second-best for the Wolverines at 40, and Lauren Song ’16 had a seasonal best at 42. Overall, despite the 3rd place finish, the team’s score of 205 was actually its lowest of the season (although it was also the first time in 2014 that the team had played at the Hansen Dam course).
Head Coach Marge Chamberlain wasn’t too disappointed with the result, saying, “Freshman Karina Guo was phenomenal, and most of our girls had their best rounds of the season. We did well, just not well enough sometimes; that happens in golf. Our team is improving and we have players who are beginning to contribute in big ways. I am very optimistic about the season. We emphasize that in golf you play one shot at a time and one hole at a time. We will extend that philosphy to our match play as well and get ready for Notre Dame on Wednesday.”
Despite being beaten by Notre Dame and Marlborough, the Wolverines’ record in dual matches still stands unblemished at 4-0 overall, and 3-0 in league play. Fortunately for the squad, they won’t have to wait too long to take another shot at their chief rival, Notre Dame. Harvard-Westlake gets to face the Knights (3-0 overall, 2-0 Mission), the defending league champions and #1 team in the most recent Los Angeles Daily News poll, today, as the winner will become the lone remaining undefeated team in Mission League play and de facto favorite for the regular season league title. The match will be at 3:15 P.M., also at the Hansen Dam course.
