Varsity girls water polo team concedes 8-13 match to Los Gatos

Eyes+trained+on+the+ball%2C+Sydney+Adler+%2812%29+swims+towards+a+Wildcat.+Varsity+girls+water+polo+fell+to+Los+Gatos+8-13+at+home+on+Sept.+22.+

Desiree Luo

Eyes trained on the ball, Sydney Adler (12) swims towards a Wildcat. Varsity girls water polo fell to Los Gatos 8-13 at home on Sept. 22.

Varsity girls water polo fell to Los Gatos 8-13 at home on Sept. 22, initiating a second half comeback but ultimately falling short of victory to bring their league record to 5-3.

“We definitely did a lot better in the final quarter than we did in the first few, so at least we ended on a good note,” team member Mia Tang (9) said. “Overall, our defense got a lot better.” 

The team started slow in the first half, scoring only three points to Los Gatos’ eight. In the second half, the Eagles increased their momentum with the offense scoring five points while the defense limited Los Gatos to five. 

Team member Keren Eisenberg (10) attributed the Eagles’ second half success to goalkeepers Jasmine Hansra (9) and Abby Lim’s (10) performances.

“[In the] second half we came out really strong, and there were times we gave them a really great game defensively,” Keren said. “Our goalies were pretty good today.”

Students, parents and faculty packed the stands to spectate and cheer on the team. 

“I thought the game was awesome,” Emily Mitnick (10), who came to support her friends on the team, said. “Considering I’d never seen a water polo game before, I found it exhilarating and interesting, and I think the girls played really well.” 

With a stronger sense of their opponents’ playing style and strategy, the Eagles plan to use their defeat to fuel improvement moving forward. 

“I think it’s only going to go up from here,” Keren said. “This gives us a good perspective of what we need to work on against probably one of the best teams of the league.”