On Saturday, February 12, 2022, the John W. North Huskies Girls’ soccer team hosted the Lake Elsinore Tigers in the first round of Division 6 Southern Section CIF Playoffs. As the evening moved on, the main section of the stands filled up little by little. Both teams were huddled up on the side as they were preparing to battle to keep their season alive. 

The Lady Huskies came into their first playoff game after having a fantastic regular season with an overall of seven wins, one tie and went undefeated in league play. They came off a tie in the previous week against the Rancho Verde Mustangs. As for the Tigers, they have had a rougher season with an overall record of six wins, 13 losses and two ties. The Tigers have a league record of four wins and four losses. The previous week, they faced Oxford Academy and won with a score of 3-0. As both of these teams face off in the playoff tournament, they look to get a vital win in hopes to keep their season alive. 

As the first half was underway, the Huskies offense was electric right from the start of the game! Junior Lavi Vaipulu scored two goals in the first half, with Junior Sariah Hernandez also putting one in the back of the net before the half ended. The Huskies kept moving the ball upfield and had possession most of the half. The Huskies defense was on point in the first half as Lake Elsinore did not score. 

In the second half of the game, the Huskies defense was even stronger. Junior Tayler Wonderly had two assists and stopped Elsinore from putting points on the scoreboard. To cap off this electric game for the Lady Huskies, Lavi Vaipulu scored another goal, securing a hat trick in the first round of CIF playoffs. The Huskies won this game with a score of 4-0 and moved onto the second round of CIF playing against the Ramona High School Rams.

As the Huskies moved onto round two against Ramona, they won that game with a score of 2-1. They moved onto round three against Riverside Prep High School and won that game 1-0. Advancing to the semi-final game, the Huskies had to face the #1 seed of the division, Arrowhead Christian. The Huskies fought hard against the #1 seed but ultimately were defeated 0-1.

“I think we all had nerves collectively, and some more than others. We had big goals for the season and we had intentions [of] seeing them through. But, we knew we had the hardware to get it done so I do believe that our nerves were just healthy excitement. We just wanted to have fun and make the most of the season,” said junior Lavi Vaipulu. 

As their season came to an end, they have nothing to be ashamed of as they had a very historic season. The Huskies were undefeated league champions and advanced all the way to the semi-finals for the first time in program history. Congratulations on the historic season Huskies, we will all miss our seniors!!