![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
As the sun set and the sky darkened over Davis Field today, the girls Varsity lacrosse team experienced its first loss of the season against Pioneer High School with an overall score of 7-9.
The Eagles began the game at a 5-3 lead with around seven minutes left in the first half. However, the Mustangs drove past the Eagles’ defense and scored two goals to tie the game by the end of the first half.
After halftime pep talks by the coaches on both teams, the second half progressed with neither team taking the lead, remaining the score at 6-6. The Eagles then made a goal with 12 minutes left of the game, advancing to 7-6. The Mustangs, however, scored three goals in a row in under 10 minutes to win the game.
Some highlights included consistent Eagle offense, playing much of the game on the opponent’s side of the field, and aggressive play by Michelle Douglas (12), Tiphaine Delepine (12), Wendy Shwe (12), and Hannah Bollar (10).
Head Coach Andrew Irvine accepted the team’s close loss to Pioneer, stating that losing by two points against an opponent who “is traditionally above [the team’s] level” is adequate.
As the sole captain, Michelle had similar perspectives on the game. In previous years, the team had lost to Pioneer by a significant number of points, so the two-point loss signals improvement in the team’s chemistry and skill.
“[The score] just shows that we have grown as a team, that our returning players have gotten better, and that our new players have been picking the sport up quickly. We’ve never seen anything like before, especially in a non-league game,” she said, reflecting on the tough losses in previous years.
Tiphaine believes the game is just the beginning of a successful season.
“I was really impressed with our team’s performance because Pioneer is in the league above us. We didn’t let that stop us and ended up putting up a really good fight,” she said.
Irvine mentioned that the lack of a Junior Varsity team poses difficulties such as introducing amateur players to the sport at a Varsity level. As a result, he has to coach both experienced and inexperienced players in the team.
“Right now, the goal is to make sure our starting team gets back in the groove and to help our new players learn how to play lacrosse,” he said.
The Eagles will compete at Sacred Heart Prep tomorrow at 4 p.m.
