After a tough loss in conference last year, girls golf looks to make its way back to the top.

They started off their season on Aug. 18 at the Joliet Township Invitational at Wedgewood Golf. Minooka had an excellent finish, tying Downers Grove for sixth place with a 254.

The top grouping of the tournament included Megan Chiappetta and Abby Pettigrew who together placed fifth with a 73 after combining nines of 32 and 41.

Chiappetta and Pettigrew are consistent and promising players who coach Joe Host is confident will lead the team throughout the season. Bella Casagrande and Ashley Graves — who teamed up for a total of 87 in the invitational — will also serve as keystones in the coming matches.

“I was very pleased with our finish at the Joliet Township Invite,” said Host. “It is a great opportunity to have the girls work together as a team.  It is a fun event that allows the girls to play in a format that we never get to play at any other time of the season.”

The team has experienced both winning and losing conference in their high school careers thus far. Last year their overall record was 8-2,  and the girls are eager to reclaim their position as No. 1 in the conference.

The girls have worked long and hard in the off season to accomplish this goal, and with their evident success in the preseason, this goal certainly seems within reach.

“I hope that we win conference again since we fell short last year,” said Holly Clayton, senior. “I’m really confident in our team this year.”

The girls are already off to a great start, defeating WWS on Aug. 21 at Heritage Bluffs and winning their first SPC Conference match against Plainfield East on Aug. 23.

Host expressed confidence in all of his players, highlighting senior Anna Tomala and juniors Grace Vessel and Allison Bugajski among the girls who placed in the invitational last week.

Minooka wants to extend its nine-year streak of qualifying for sectionals and even make its first state appearance, a goal that has eluded them in the past. If they can carry this building momentum forward, this year might very well be different.