![“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)
Girls varsity soccer faces narrow loss against Crystal Springs Uplands
Shreya Srinivasan
Emma Boyce (10) tussles for the ball against an opposing Crystal player. The girls lost 0-1 at home on Tuesday.
January 19, 2019
The varsity girls soccer team faced a narrow 0-1 loss against Crystal Springs at home on Tuesday, bringing their overall record to 4-4-3 and their league record to 2-1-1.
Due to strong defense by both teams in the first half, neither team was able to gain a lead, with halftime beginning at a deadlocked 0-0.
A Crystal Springs player managed to strike the what would be the ultimate blow after the break, scoring to put the Eagles down 0-1 despite a resilient Harker defense. Harker was unable to recover, resulting in a win for Crystal Springs Uplands.
Though the game ended in a loss, players felt that they had put in their best effort as Crystal Springs is one of their biggest competitors. The team managed to incorporate the drills done in practice into the way they played in the game.
“We definitely played as a team. There was clear intent in how the midfield was sending the balls up the field to the attackers just like we practiced. Communication improved, especially since we know our teammates better and we look out for each other,” player Allie Lee (11) said. “Although the result wasn’t the one we were looking for, there were definitely some important lessons learned from the game. We had a lot of buildups, but we need to work on our finishing touches to actually score goals.”
A freshman on the team, Ashley Barth (9), commented on the close-knit bond of the team to the determination each player had on the field.
“We’ve learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses and that can make a huge difference in a game,” Barth said. “We were able to piece together passes and to spread the field, making it more difficult for the other team.”
Although the intermittent rain had an impact on the game, the team managed to adapt to the changing environment and keep control over the slippery ball. Despite these obstacles, junior Amla Rashingkar recognized that her team executed several effective strategies.
“We played really well, and a lot of players were winning 50-50 balls and taking control of balls in the air,” Amla said. “We pressured the other team when they had the ball and made a lot of strong passes to each other.”
The girls host Castilleja on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
