Following a successful season with a 13-4 overall record, girls’ lacrosse has set a new standard. For the first time in the program’s history, the Panthers qualified for the Division I Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.
“I was so proud of the team for making Division I, that’s never happened before in Burlingame varsity lacrosse history, so I was super excited,” senior goalie Anya Malhotra said.
However, the team was knocked out early from CCS after a loss against Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) 19-4 on Tuesday, May 12. SHP went on to play in the CCS Championship against St. Ignatius.
“I told our team that they should feel very proud and pat themselves on the back for the season that they had and the game that they played, and so it’s just always tough to finish the season with a loss,” head coach Phil Wang said. “But in reality, in our division, only one team finishes the season with a win. The rest of us, the rest of all the teams finishes the season with a loss, that’s just a reality.”
Burlingame was the eighth-seeded team in the Division I bracket, while SHP was the number one seed. According to MaxPreps, the Gators are ranked first in California and sixth nationally, with an undefeated season record of 19-0. Wang said the team anticipated this game to be the most difficult match of the year.
“SHP was not only the one seed in Division I for CCS, they are the best team in California and the best team on the West Coast. So then normally SHP has a very high standard for the quality of the lacrosse team they put out,” Wang said.
According to Wang, 11 of SHP’s players have committed to play lacrosse at NCAA Division I schools.
“Every single spot they may have the best player in the league at every single position,” Wang said. “Goalie, all three midfielders, all four defenders, all four attack, they arguably may have the best player at each position.”
Early in the first quarter, both teams were tied 1-1, but throughout the game, the Gators gained a devastating lead, racking up at least 10 goals by halftime. According to Malhotra, the Gators incorporated tactics that the Panthers were unaccustomed to playing against.
“Their lacrosse skills were very, very developed, and they knew different types of shots that we hadn’t seen before,” Malhotra said. “And they knew how to defend their goal in different ways that you don’t usually see in Division II or Division III so it was just really interesting watching them play.”
Because of the elite competition, according to Malhotra, the team focused on celebrating the small wins that occurred in the game.
“Whenever there be a forced turnover, or we would successfully defend the goal, or just those smaller wins, like maybe we clear the ball across the field, we would be really energetic and excited about that,” Malhotra said. “And usually we’re really excited about scoring goals or making saves, and we celebrate that a lot, but in this game we kind of adjusted to celebrate the smaller wins of playing together as a team.”
Although they failed to advance further in CCS, Wang said he applauds the team’s resilience.
“We lost what, 19 to four, but a whole bunch of excellent teams that they played scored zero goals against them, or less than we did,” Wang said. “And I also heard from the SHP coach, who I know, she said that this Burlingame team was one of the absolute best defenses that they have seen in their entire season, so it was high praise coming from them.”
Looking ahead to next season, the team hopes to follow up its debut in the Division I CCS playoffs with another successful season.
“It’s just building on our skills we already have, our lacrosse fundamentals, running, competitiveness. I think building on all of that makes teams really strong, and we saw that by playing SHP,” Malhotra said. “I’m confident that the coaches and the girls will incorporate that into next year’s season.”
This year’s success is largely attributed to the team culture. According to Wang, the team is very close.
“Everybody’s really supportive of each other. I think everybody prides themselves on being a good teammate, in addition to being a good lacrosse player,” Wang said.
For Malhotra, playing her last high school match was bittersweet. However, she said she remains optimistic for future years and what the underclassmen will bring to the program.
“This was the best season of my four years of high school lacrosse. The team had a great bond with each other. We really played well on the field and got along off the field,” Malhotra said. “I would say that I’m excited for the girls who are going to be playing next season, because making Division I for the first time is building a legacy, and I’m really excited for the team to carry on that legacy of making Division I and putting in their 110% effort into our practices and games.”
For Wang, it is clear that next season will not disappoint.
“Everybody out there knows that the Burlingame girls’ lacrosse program is legit,” Wang said. “I think that’s my main takeaway.”
