Girls LAX Wins First CIF-SS Title

With a minute left in regulation, the Oaks Christian girls’ lacrosse bench started to discuss where on Fred Kelly Stadium they would celebrate their CIF-SS Division 3 championship.  

Leading Trabuco Hills 15-9 with the clock ticking down, they decided to rush towards their goaltender, Torrey Chang. After the final horn, the bench took off, coming together with players on the field for a title that’s been four years in the making. On May 16, the Lady Lions secured the program’s first CIF title in program history.  

“This was a goal that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season,” said Oaks Christian Head Coach Courtney Lindsay. “For all of us to come together as a team and really lock in and get the job done is all I can ask for as a coach for our team.” 

Although the closing minutes of the game had the bench figuring out their championship celebration, it didn’t start so smoothly for the Lady Lions. Trabuco Hills jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage as Oaks Christian searched for answers.  

“I think it took us a few minutes to figure out how this team was going to try and attack us,” said senior midfielder Elizabeth Forsyth. “Once we got the hang of that, I felt like we just kind of found our momentum.” 

Did they ever figure it out. The Lady Lions responded, scoring six unanswered goals to take a 6-3 advantage into the locker room at halftime.  

“I think being down in the first place lit a fire under us,” said senior midfielder Elizabeth Hilbert. “None of us were okay with the idea of losing. I remember turning to Beth (Forsyth) and Julia (Forsyth) and telling them we need to kick ourselves into gear, we’re not walking out of this field with a loss.” 

Sophia Vasquez scored five goals, and Hilbert added four goals along with seven draw controls. Julia Forsyth tallied four goals while Elizabeth Forsyth added a goal and an assist.  

The Lady Lions' lead extended to 9-3 midway through the third quarter.  

“We had a full week to prepare for this game, and we came out and practiced hard every single day,” Lindsay said. “Everyone was locked in, and we knew what we needed to do, so we came out confident in this game too.” 

Lacrosse is thriving at Oaks Christian. The boys’ lacrosse program won the CIF-SS Div. 3 title last season before falling in the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs this season. The girls’ lacrosse program joined the ranks of Oaks Christian champions, winning the school’s 59th CIF-SS title.  

“I feel like we worked really hard for this over our four years here, and it’s just great to go out as champions,” Forsyth said.  

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hilbert, the latest Daily News Female Athlete of the Week, started to get emotional thinking about her lacrosse career at Oaks Christian.  

“I started crying during the fourth quarter because not only was this our last game together, but this was our last year playing together,” Hilbert said. “It was just sort of a moment because this team was definitely my favorite team that I have played with at Oaks Christian.” 

The class of 2025 girls’ lacrosse athletes elevated the girls’ lacrosse program to new heights during their time at Oaks Christian.  

“We’re trying to build a legacy, and we have great seniors that are leaving that program, and they really set the program and set the tone for what is expected for years to come,” Lindsay said. “We have amazing underclassmen who now understand that this is the norm, and this is what is to be expected of the program. I think we’re just going to keep getting better and stronger.”  

The legacy of this team will be enshrined forever in the form of a banner hanging in the Dallas Athletic Center.  

“We came here to win, and we did,” Forsyth said. “Now we get to hang up our banner.”