![“[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 girls lacrosse loses 14-3 to Archbishop Mitty in season opener
Freshman Elise Mayer catches the ball and runs during the girls’ first lacrosse match of the season.
February 25, 2016
The varsity girls lacrosse team lost 14-3 to Archbishop Mitty High School during their first game of the season on Davis Field today at 4:30 pm.
At halftime, the Lady Eagles were down 9-0. During the second half, the girls were able to score 3 goals by Mahlet Demi (11) and Aditi Maheshwari (11).
Assistant Coach Andrew Irvine thought a game against a skilled team like Mitty would be extremely helpful for the team’s future.
“It was great considering Mitty has become a very competitive program and the girls held their own,” he said. “I always think it is a good idea to play a competitive program as your first game to get all the bugs out. It is a great start to the foundation of our future. We can certainly see what we need to work on.”
Head Coach Dana Rodriguez not only agreed but also believed that the players played very well despite the obvious difference in skill.
“I think we did really well. There were a lot of things that we worked on in practice that I saw the girls put to use on the field,” she said. “The girls are doing awesome in the second half. We held them 5-3 as opposed to 9-0 in the first half. I think the girls worked really well together. Offense and defense, they were holding them really tight and I am really proud of them.”
Despite their loss, co-captain Natasha Mayor (12) believes that the team has a bright future this year.
“Going into the game, we expected Mitty to be a tough team,” she said. “But this is our first game and compared to how we started off last season, I think this team is already a lot better and geared up for a good season.”
The varsity girls lacrosse team will next play Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday.
