When the final whistle blew Wednesday night, players ran from the sideline onto the field to embrace their teammates who had played the full 80-minute soccer match without rest. Emotions were high as the girls hugged and celebrated a historic evening in Fontana. The VWS soccer team had beaten AB Miller 6-3, propelling the undefeated Gauls to the CIF Championship game as well as a bid to the state regional tournament.  

This Saturday, the team plays Arrowhead Christian for the championship here on campus at two p.m. The community waits with immense anticipation and excitement for the possibility of bringing a CIF championship to Webb for the first time in over a decade. While academics are undisputedly the focus, the Webb Community has held immense support for its teams through the years, making this historic moment even sweeter. 

“Reaching the CIF finals is a tremendous accomplishment and represents the pinnacle of achievement for a team,” said Steve Wishek, Director of Athletics. “In many sports, the sectional championships are considered a bigger prize than any state or regional championship that may follow.” 

In the past, Webb teams have only reached six CIF finals games, bringing home championships three times. The Webb Schools won their first CIF championship with WSC Tennis in 1986. Since then, championships have been won by WSC Soccer in 1993 and then WSC Water Polo in 2009.  

No VWS sports team has ever won a CIF championship, though the girls’ soccer team has enjoyed the most success in recent years. The 2016 girls’ soccer team made it to the CIF Finals, though they were runners-up. That team remained the only VWS squad to reach a championship game in the school’s history until this week. This new crew aims for redemption and to make history for the Vivian Webb School. 

What does this weekend’s matchup look like exactly? The Gauls came into this game undefeated, a perfect 17-0 on the season. They rank 140th in the Nation, 25th in the southern section of California, and are first in Southern Section Division Six. 

Junior Abbey Cook (‘23) leads the squad with 34 goals and 20 assists. In her final high school season, Taren Duffy (‘22) comes into the game with 21 goals and 14 assists. Caroline Metz (‘22), the other starting senior on this squad, is 3rd on the team in assist with 7 to go along with 3 goals on the season.  

This team is a close-knit group and has consistently shown high confidence and morale throughout the season. While part of that is because there is no JV team, another aspect to note is that there are three sets of siblings on the roster. Taren and Caroline both have sisters who are freshmen: Lauren Duffy (‘25) and Kaitlyn Metz (‘25). Reece Ollivierre (‘23) and Reagan Ollivierre (‘24) solidify the team’s defensive line. 

Arrowhead Chrisitan has also enjoyed plenty of success this season too, with a 20-1 record, ranking 2nd in Southern Section Division Six. They are also ranked as the 298th team Nationally and 47th in the whole of southern section California. They’ve scored 112 goals this season, only surrendering 18. 

This is a great match, and it should be a very entertaining afternoon. This will be the third consecutive Saturday that Webb will have a girls’ soccer game, but this Saturday’s game should be, by far, the most exciting.  Again, the game is at 2 p.m. this Saturday on Faculty Field and everyone is highly encouraged to come and cheer on the Gauls.  

The team is also planning a rally outside the Hooper Community Center at 2:10 p.m. this afternoon and encourages everyone to wear blue to celebrate the finals bid and to get the community hyped for the game. 

This season has also been heavily supported by the team parents, who plan to bring balloons and posters to the game and encourage everyone to show their support. 

Mr. Wishek agrees enthusiastically. “I hope that we get a lot of student support at Faculty Field this Saturday to show support to our players in recognition of their hard work and dedication this season,” he said.