![“[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)
The girls’ soccer team kicked off its first league game against Downtown College Prep at 3:30 on Tuesday, December 6.
This game is the team’s first home game of three this week.
Before the game, Coach Jason Berry told the girls to focus on playing strong defense, keeping up their energy, and incorporating their practice into the game.
The Lady Eagles scored several goals early on in the first half. In the 5th minute of the game, Diba Massihpour (9) scored a goal off an assist from Alyssa Amick (9), which was immediately followed by another goal from Nikita Parulkar (9) in the 6th minute.
After scoring the team’s third goal in the 8th minute, Gabriella Gupta (9) assisted Alyssa with another goal in the 11th minute, making the score 4-0.
For several minutes of the first half, the ball remained in the Eagles’ possession, who committed several mistakes as well as caused various opportunities. In the first half alone, the referee called five offsides on Harker.
Alyssa scored two more goals and Diba one more, placing the girls into a 7-0 lead by halftime.
Three minutes into the second half midfielder Adrienne Mendel (11) took a shot from outside the 18-yard box and the ball flew into the top left corner of the goal. Laya Indukuri scored another goal in the 64th minute with an assist from Julia Fink (10).
Immediately after Laya’s goal, Downtown College Prep counterattacked and had an opportunity to score in the goal box. The referee called a handball on Harker, resulting in a penalty kick for the opposing team. Player number 10 of Downtown College Prep scored from the kick.
Finally, with 5 minutes left in the game, Julia ran and shot the ball into the bottom right corner making the final score of the game 10-1.
The team’s next game is this Thursday against Eastside College Prep at 3:30 on Davis Field.
