![“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)
Varsity boys soccer team loses a close match against Saratoga High School
Sophomore Rohit Shah kicks the ball far past midfield. The varsity team lost to Saratoga High.
December 10, 2015
The varsity boys soccer team lost 2-3 to Saratoga High School on Davis Field today as their third game of the season. The loss against Saratoga has made the team’s overall record 0-3; however, they still look forward to playing upcoming matches and plan to use their team spirit and camaraderie as an advantage to outplay other teams.
The Eagles had a strong start with a goal in the first five minutes of the game by Jared Anderson (9). Ten minutes later, Saratoga scored a goal at the fifteen-minute mark, tying the game up before the end of the first half. The game stayed stagnant for the rest of the first half. During halftime, the team huddled together while head coach Shaun Tsakiris motivated the boys to play stronger during the second half.
During halftime, Jared commented on the game so far.
“Our team has the right potential and from the looks of it, I think that our team is really good,” he said. “We just need to work a little more with each other so that we can be ready for league.”
After a fifteen minute long halftime, the second half began and ten minutes into it, Omar Hamade (12) headered into the goal causing the score to rise to 2-1 for the Eagles. Both teams faced hard for the next few minutes until one of the players from Saratoga scored a goal, making the overall score tied again.
As the second half continued, the Eagles began to slow down their plays, losing contact with ball more often than in the beginning, allowing Saratoga to score another goal in the last thirty seconds.
After the match finished, Coach Shaun remarked on his point of view of the game.
“Obviously, losing is not the best feeling in anyone’s mind, but as their coach, I’m concerned more about their mentality and their effort on the field,” he said. “I hope that these past 3 games will be a lesson to start the game with the correct mental approach in upcoming matches.”
Co-captain Sanil Rajput (12) also discussed on the performance today.
“Today, the team agreed that we played our best game so far. We came out flying and definitely dominated in terms of possession and playing style,” he said. “Our team is really tight this year. We all respect each other and love hanging out with each other. Every training and game, we constantly push each other to be the best we can be. In my three years for varsity soccer, I’ve had the most fun with this squad.”
After boys varsity played, the junior varsity boys soccer team began warming up to play Saratoga’s JV team at 4:30 p.m.
The boys will be playing their next away game against Lynbrook next Friday at 3:00 p.m.
