Orange and white streamers line the Westwood bleachers as friends and family enthusiastically lift their homemade posters into the air, cheering on the varsity girls soccer team in their second University Interscholastic League (UIL) district game on Friday, March 21. The Warriors defeated the Dripping Springs Tigers 2-1. As the UIL playoffs are a knockout tournament, only the winning team could advance, so the stakes were extremely high. Since the regular district season is over, this win was very important for the team, especially for the seniors to ensure their spot in the next round of playoffs.
“It means so much because for a lot of the seniors, if we lost today that would have been our last game together,” Bella Keene ‘25 said. “I think that’s what everyone was fighting for, is to go far for the school but also to have one more week playing together.
After kickoff, both teams came up with high energy to attempt to get the first goal lead. The Warriors repeatedly got close to shooting goals while focusing on offense. But, shifting the momentum toward the Warriors with nine minutes left in the first half, Mia Wiele ’26 crossed the ball to Kylie Denton ‘25 who scored the first goal of the game. Momentum was high and so just moments later, Kaheligh Coughlin ‘26 attempted a shot, barely missing the goal, keeping the Tigers on edge. Finishing the first half, both teams exerted their maximum effort as supporters jangled cowbells and the student section erupted in yells.
“We started off strong, and I think like it just from the whistle, we just started off really well and it just kept getting better from there,” Wiele said.
After an uneventful beginning to the half, Coughlin dribbled to the box and jammed in the second goal for the Warriors, setting them up with two unanswered points. With time running out, the Warriors were close to a shutout win, but with less than 10 minutes left in the game, Dripping Springs finally hit a free kick from a Warrior foul. The end of the game did not die down as the Tigers found a second wind in response to their first goal. While previously, the Warriors were more focused on offense, after the Tigers’ goal, the team shifted to defense to ensure their win and next playoff appearance.
“I think for the rest of the playoffs we just kind of need to come out like how we did today and keep giving it 100%, because we can do it and just take our chances,” Wiele said.
With their second playoff win, the Warriors moved to face off against Lee High School from San Antonio on Tuesday, March 25 earning themselves the title of area champions. With that win in the bag, the team is now moving on to the third round of UIL playoffs which will take place on Friday, March 28 at 8 p.m. for a home game at the Warrior Bowl.
![Powering through a fastball, Ardavan Jahangiri '28 swings with all his might. Jahangiri ultimately didn't achieve much success as a batter, but was part of crucial plays in the infield. “[We’ve] improved astronomically, it’s absurd,” Jahangiri said. “[Our] technique is on point, we know where the ball is going, we’re not being reactive, we’re being active.”](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_1781-1-1200x799.jpg)
