Water polo teams defeated in league tournament after strong season

Anna Vazhaeparambil

Rohan Sonecha (12) looks to throw the ball as a defender from the opposing team raises his hand to block the shot. The boys varsity team earned fourth place in the league tournament after losing to Cupertino.

by Anna Vazhaeparambil, Aquila Co-Sports Editor

After a strong run this year, both varsity water polo teams lost their respective games on Friday in the league tournament, ending their seasons early. The boys finished 16-14 overall and 10-4 in league, while the girls were 20-4 overall and 13-1 in league.

The boys played Cupertino High School at 4:45 p.m., fighting for the third place seat after beating Fremont High School 15-11 on Tuesday and losing to Santa Clara High School 10-5 on Wednesday. Although the Eagles were up 7-6 at the start of the third quarter, Cupertino took the lead, pulling ahead to 10-9. Despite goals by Rohan Sonecha (12) and Kai Burich (10) in the fourth quarter, the team was unable to keep up with their opponents, finishing the match with a 13-11 loss. 

After defeating Cupertino High School 17-1 on Tuesday and Wilcox High School 11-1 on Wednesday, the varsity girls were competing for the league championship title against Santa Clara High School on Friday and for a chance to qualify to the CCS playoffs. Having faced Santa Clara twice during league, winning 10-9 the first time and losing 11-9 the second, the players were disappointed with the 8-3 loss on Friday and the large margin between the teams.

“We expected a much closer game,” goalie Anna Arnaudova (11) said. “But we weren’t using our clock properly and opportunities were being missed [on offense], and I think that’s just something that we have to work on [for the future].”

The girls are currently applying for an at-large bid to earn a place at CCS, since they did not qualify at the league tournament. Based on the response, they may compete at the CCS quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Additional reporting by Muthu Panchanatham.