![“[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)
Girls varsity soccer ties first game of the season
Kailee Gifford (10) dribbles the ball closer to the goal. The varsity girls soccer team tied 2-2 with Lynbrook High School today.
The varsity girls’ soccer team tied 2-2 against Lynbrook High School at home today in its first game of the season.
The game began this afternoon in a light rain that continued through a sporadic downpours. A few people, mainly other Harker students and parents of the players, showed up with umbrellas at the first game of the season.
Center midfielder Kailee Gifford (10) scored a goal on a penalty kick in the first half, and forward Joelle Anderson (10) scored a goal in the second half of the game.
This year, the team consists of 15 players: five freshmen, five sophomores, one junior, and four seniors.
During the second half of the game, one of the goalies, Aislinn Coveney (9), commented on the progress of the game until that point.
“I think we are doing ok [so far], but we can definitely do better,” Aislinn said. “Right now, we’re playing at our best.”
Team co-captain, Gabriella Gupta (12), gave feedback on today’s performance.
“I think it’s a good start,” Gabriella said. “I think it’s always hard when you first start out on the first team because you don’t really have the team chemistry built yet, but I think for the first game, I would say it went pretty well.”
Left midfielder, Nikita Parulkar (12), spoke about the players this year.
“You really can’t compare [this year from last year],” Nikita said. “We’ve got a lot of the same girls and three solid freshmen on the team too, so they bring their own talents on the team. I think we’ll shape up nice this year.”
Today’s game was the first time the varsity girls’ soccer team played against Lynbrook.
“We’re actually playing in a new league this year, so we’ll be playing tougher teams,” Gabriella said. “We’re down numbers too, so of course it’s a little scary you’ve kind of been in the same place the entire time. I think that in the future, we’re going to have a stronger team.”
At the end of the game, the team gathered together with coach Iman Siadat.
Siadat said that the girls played pretty well and they kept the ball in their possession 60 percent to 70 percent of the time. He also said the girls’ techniques and balls were better than Lynbrook High School, and they came close to winning.
To improve, Siadat said they could pass the ball more, move after passing it and be more open for throw-ins.
The team will play Fremont High School at home on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Jackie Gao (10) is in her second year on staff is a reporter of the Winged Post. Her favorite part of journalism is the ability to interact with various...