JV girls’ lacrosse will face off against McNeil High School in the first round of district playoffs Tuesday, April 24 at St. Michael’s High School, followed by varsity’s game against Lake Travis on Thursday, April 26 at the Round Rock Multiplex.

The top four teams in each division will battle it out to be crowned district champions. Heading into the tournament, JV is seeded third in their division and varsity is fourth.

Making playoffs was not an easy feat for either team, and the JV team thought that they were out of the running after a 5-3 loss against McNeil several weeks ago.

“It was a very stressful situation because we really wanted to beat McNeil so that we would make it to playoffs,” Riya Shah ‘20 said. “However we ended up still placing, so I am very grateful that we will have another chance to beat them.”

Being able to compete for a district title is a big accomplishment for the team because the majority of the JV players are new to the sport.

“Our team started off with mostly players who had no experience,” Sarah Ramsey ‘20 said. “But our team is so dedicated and works very hard, so making playoffs is a very big deal for us.”

The team has been practicing four days a week, hoping to hone their skills even more in order to walk away as district champions.

“We have been working on a lot of defense and shooting so that we have more control and are not just chunking the ball at the goal,” JV captain Jill Krekel ‘19 said. “Instead we are actually thinking and making smart moves.”

The varsity team secured a spot in playoffs in a 13-9 game against Georgetown High School on Thursday, March 29; however they too had doubts about whether or not they would end up qualifying for playoffs.

“Sometimes we play like the great Westwood team that we are, and other times we play as the team that doesn’t know how to work together,” Sofia Larson ‘20 said. “Our coach is always betting on ‘which team will show up,’ and this should not be the case. We need to always be amazing.”

The biggest challenge may be yet to come because varsity will be playing Lake Travis, who is currently undefeated, in order to advance to round two of playoffs.

“Lake Travis is a great team,” Larson said. “Their statistics are extremely good and they have very strong players. We will have to play at their level, and I think we can do it.”

After failing to qualify for district last year, the team is even more motivated to bring home a win.

“Making playoffs feels like a victory in itself,” Larson said. “It is such a big deal because this shows that we are good enough to be a part of the best teams in the district.”

If the Lady Warriors can manage to place first or second, they will advance to the State Championships, which will be held in Austin on Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13. This is the first time in several years that the tournament will be held in Central Texas, so the team is eager to win so they can play on their home turf.

“If we make State, we will be representing Round Rock ISD,” Larson said. “This is very important, and we need to be there to represent Westwood and show how great of a team we are!”