On Monday, March 16th, the Jesuit women’s golf team took on the Metro League in their first league match at Rock Creek country club, facing some of the state’s top teams such as the Sunset Apollos and the Mountainside Mavericks.
The varsity lineup for the match consisted of Amelia Kim, Kelly Mattson, Lola McCoy-Hansen, Milla Patel, and Megan Montour.
With the back nine flooded, the Crusaders faced an interesting challenge by having to play the front nine twice. However, this allowed the opportunity for players to correct their past mistakes after playing the same nine holes again.
“Playing the same nine holes twice, I thought it would be easier the second time, but I realized that I usually play my front nine better, and it showed on this course,” said junior Milla Patel. “I feel like I could have played better, but I got into my head. In the end, it was kind of funny playing the same nine twice because it felt like I was playing two different matches.”
Leading the crusaders was freshman Lola McCoy-Hansen, who shot a 77 (+5), including 3 birdies and multiple pars. Individually, she placed 2nd overall, only losing to Westview’s Melinee Udom, who posted a score of 69 (-2). Monday marked the freshman’s first ever high school match, making an impressive debut.
“It felt really fun and exciting, especially being part of a team,” Hansen said., “It was a great experience getting to compete alongside everyone and contribute to something bigger than just my own score. The team atmosphere made it a lot more enjoyable. And the weather was amazing.!”
Another impressive performance included Patel’s, who placed third individually with a score of 78 (+6). Patel started off strong, with 7 pars on the front nine and 3 birdies on the back.
“I think overall the match felt slow, but my performance was pretty good. I really dialed in my putting, although some of my drives were inconsistent and all over the place,” Patel reflected. “The slow pace did get into my head at times, especially when chipping and teeing off, but I worked to reset and move past it.”
Following closely behind was senior captain Kelly Mattson, who shot an 80 (+8) overall and finished the back nine with a 38 (+2). She tied for fifth place alongside sunset’s Eugene Yi. Additionally, junior Amelia Kim contributed to the team performance with an 8th overall finish.
Overall, Jesuit accumulated 256 stableford points, solidifying themselves as the number one team in the state for the time being. Following close behind was Sunset High School, with 232 points, then the Mavericks, with 226.
Jesuit will play their next match in two weeks on March 31st at Chahalem Glen.
