The Aliso Niguel High School’s girls soccer team placed third in the South Coast League, and this ranking qualified them to advance on to CIF, where they then played against the Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles.
The soccer team ended off their League tournament by competing with the Tesoro High Titans for their last and final game on Feb. 1. Sadly for the Wolverines, this day did not end in a victory for them as the team lost the game. The Titans scored three goals while the Wolverines scored zero goals.
With this game now in the books, the soccer players wrapped up League with an overall score of four wins, three losses and one tie. This overall score secured them third place in the South Coast League and this standing was enough for them to be able to move forward and to compete in Division I of the 2024 CIF Southern Section Girls Soccer Championships.
For the team’s first playoff game, the players and coaches traveled all the way up to the bright and sunny county of Los Angeles to play against Palos Verdes High School on Feb. 8. The Palos Verdes Sea Kings currently hold the spot of second place in the Bay League as they ended their own League tournament with eight wins and only two losses.
The final score of this game was 2-1 in favor of Palos Verdes High. Sadly for the Aliso Niguel Wolverines, this game marked the first and last of the CIF playoffs as it ended in a defeat.
However, one of the team’s team captains, Alaina Villa (11), states that “the highlights of the game were the bus ride and celebrating the goal we scored.”
Villa also shared that she is “sad that CIF ended early but glad it was a fun season.”
As these soccer athletes are wrapping up their 2023-2024 athletic season, they’re taking away memories and lessons along with them. Villa states that she will always cherish the team’s “pasta parties and watching the boys soccer team’s game.”
Along with this sentiment, Villa shares that she is “looking forward to next year’s season!”
Another Aliso Niguel High soccer athlete, Bayley Leggett (11), shares that the highlights of her year were also “the pasta parties and watching the boys’ games.”
When asked about her biggest takeaways from this soccer season, Leggett responded with, “[learning] that being supportive and positive to each other is an important aspect to being a successful team.”
With that in mind, the ANHS Wolverines have officially concluded their girls soccer season for the 2023-2024 school year. This may be the end of their season, but it is certainly not the end for these soccer athletes as next year’s games are on the horizon.
