Program sound, CCS crowned

From there, it was all Wildcats. Woodside rolled to a 12-7 victory over its crosstown rival, capturing the first CCS trophy in program history, in the first year of existence of the CCS Division II girls’ lacrosse bracket. Then the team used the extra two hours to get gussied up for prom and dance the night away as champions.

“It was honestly a lot of gratefulness and relief,” Woodside junior attacker Farrah Caldwell said. “I feel like most of the players on the varsity team are juniors and seniors, and we had prom. So, it was like: ‘We can take home the win and go to prom.’”

The expansion to the two-division system of the CCS lacrosse playoffs was a revelation for Woodside. With head coach Stacey Myers in her 12th year with the program, Woodside has long been a contender in the West Bay Athletic League Skyline Division. Myers owns a 114-52-1 all-time record, including the Wildcats enjoying their best seasons since CCS adopted the sport into a playoff format in 2021.

“Our girls were just super on in the postseason,” Myers said. “They were excited. They really wanted to do well. ... My girls, I felt as soon as the season ended, they were super rejuvenated.”

However, through the past three seasons, Woodside hardly stood a chance in the playoffs, going up against powerhouses such as Menlo School, Sacred Heart Prep and St. Ignatius in one overarching postseason bracket.

Myers played the news of the inception of CCS Division II close to the vest. Then, several weeks prior to the start of the playoffs, with her Wildcats wrapping up the WBAL Skyline championship, the veteran coach explained how the new playoff structure would benefit the team.

“I think we were excited,” Caldwell said. “Because it’s nicer to play against teams more at our level than teams that are clearly above us in terms of skill.”

When it comes to skill, the Wildcats have turned into a developmental system under Myers. Historically Woodside doesn’t draw a lot of club players. Even though the school has served as a home field to Firehawks Lacrosse, one of the premier youth lacrosse organizations on the Peninsula, one that draws players from near and far, most of those year-round players live in other cities or go the private school route.

Myers, though, embraces the challenge, and even revels in it.

“We get very few girls that have ever picked up a stick before, so there’s a big learning curve that we’re trying to get these girls to go over,” Myers said.

This was never more important than in the 2024 season. Woodside was forced to reinvent itself after losing one of the top players in program history, 2023 graduate Madi Escobar, who recently finished a successful freshman season in the NCAA Division III ranks at Chapman University.

As a senior, Escobar was the Wildcats’ primary scorer, totaling an extraordinary 98 goals.

“(We) came into this year a little uncertain about what our team would look like,” Myers said.

So, Myers worked with what she had. There was no replacing Escobar as a dominant scoring threat. What she did have, however, was the benefit of three returning juniors in Caldwell, and midfielders Sophiya Karer and Nikki Trikas, who were the team’s next three leading scorers in 2023.

“How are we going to make up that difference?” Myers said. “And our girls just rose to the occasion.”

Myers said she wasn’t as worried about the attacking game. Caldwell would go on to lead the team in scoring, but the attacking balance was far more distributed than in previous years. By the end of the year, that balanced distribution was a plus.

This was apparent early on, when Woodside won a 10-9 double-overtime thriller at Sequoia during the second week of the regular season, a victory that sparked a nine-game winnings streak. Caldwell scored the game-winner when she took a pass with a step toward the cage to exploit a 1-v-1 with a crease roll to exact a high shot on goal.

“I remember it was definitely a lot of work from our defensive side because Sequoia held the ball for most of the double-overtime,” Caldwell said. “And then when we finally got the ball, somebody just needed to take it to goal and that happened to be me.”

Woodside entered the season touting strength on defense as well. Senior goalkeeper Annyella Mills went on to earn her third consecutive WBAL Skyine Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Where the Wildcats truly reinvented themselves was at center. First-year varsity junior Carolyn Maldonado stepped into the role and became the latest success story of Myers’ on-field workshop in building raw athletic talent into lacrosse skill.

“Never picked up a stick before ... and she was just a game-changer for us,” Myers said. “… Whatever works, works for us. And, yeah, she did great for us this year.”

In starting the season with the junior-varsity squad, Maldonado immediately showed she is fast and has ups. Where it became clear she could help the varsity team was in her consistency at winning draws, a role that had been left void after Escobar ruled face-offs for three straight seasons.

“She just came in and was excellent at it,” Myers said.

For Myers, who also coaches for the Bay Area lacrosse club NorCal Rize, helping a player like Maldonado flourish over the course of just one season is a thrill on par with Woodside winning its first CCS championship.

“I actually think that’s my favorite part,” Myers said. “If we can get some girls that come with some prior sports knowledge ... that helps a lot.”

Woodside had 45 lacrosse players in its program this season. Only 10 of them play through the summer with club team, Myers said.

“That is even a bigger learning curve,” Myers said. “But it’s really fun because fundamentals in lacrosse can be make or break ... and I like to be that person who establishes how they do things fundamentally.”