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Varsity girls water polo triumphs over Mountain View 12-5 on senior night

Byline photo of Victor Gong
Byline photo of Claire Tian
by Victor Gong and Claire Tian
October 26, 2024
Melody hugs her teammate during the senior night ceremony. “I've come to realize how special a connection I have with the other seniors on my team,” utility player Melody said.
Melody hugs her teammate during the senior night ceremony. “I’ve come to realize how special a connection I have with the other seniors on my team,” utility player Melody said.
Claire Tian
Varsity girls water polo team players high five members of the Mountain View team prior to their game. The Eagles beat their opponents 12-5 on senior night.

Varsity girls water polo clinched a 12-5 win over Mountain View High School in their senior night game on Tuesday at the Singh Aquatic Center.

Prior to the game, the team honored seniors Summer Adler, Keren Eisenberg, Abby Lim and Melody Yin to celebrate their water polo journeys and dedication to the team. Players exchanged hugs with their friends, family and fellow teammates, who cheered them on as each senior received a bouquet of flowers.

“I’ve come to realize how special a connection I have with the other seniors on my team,” utility player Melody said. “We’ve been playing together since we were in first grade, so it’s really special to share this night with them after all those years.”

Varsity girls water polo team players high five members of the Mountain View team prior to their game. The Eagles beat their opponents 12-5 on senior night. (Victor Gong)
Seniors Sophia Liu, Iris Cai and Kashish Priyam hold up posters to support Melody. “It was exciting, and we were all very proud watching her," Iris said.

Spectators filled the stands of Singh Aquatic Center, many of them waving posters honoring senior players. Senior Iris Cai hoisted a cardboard cutout of her friend Melody. 

“My friend group decided to find a way of celebrating her four years on the team, so we printed out this really bombastic photo and waved it around,” Iris said. “It was exciting, and we were all very proud watching her.”

Seniors Sophia Liu, Iris Cai and Kashish Priyam hold up posters to support Melody. “It was exciting, and we were all very proud watching her,” Iris said. (Claire Tian)
Sophomore Zoe Cammer looks to throw the ball past Mountain View defenders. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led 3-0.

Harker started the game off strong with three back-to-back goals within the first few minutes of the quarter. Despite the Spartans’ quick offensives, junior goalkeeper Jasmine Hansra blocked their attempted shots. 

After a sequence of turnovers on both sides, sophomore hole set Zoe Cammer caught a lob pass from the backfield and darted towards Mountain View’s goal, drawing a foul. The subsequent penalty shot missed by a small margin.

Sophomore Zoe Cammer looks to throw the ball past Mountain View defenders. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led 3-0. (Eva Cheng)
Junior goalkeeper Jasmine Hansra brings her arm up to block the ball. Jasmine prevented the Spartans from scoring in the first quarter.

The Eagles’ defense barred the Spartans from scoring any points as quarter one came to a close with Harker leading 3-0.

“Our defense is finally looking pretty good again,” head coach Laci Szieben said. “We had a tough week last week because there were a lot of players who’ve been out sick, but we’ve been able to bounce back.”

Junior goalkeeper Jasmine Hansra brings her arm up to block the ball. Jasmine prevented the Spartans from scoring in the first quarter. (Claire Tian)
Senior Keren Eisenberg passes the ball to a teammate in the second quarter. As the final home game of the season, this match marked the team's senior night, with the stands packed with supportive friends and family members.

Harker and Mountain View struggled for possession in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Junior field player Mia Tang blocked a pass, setting up field player Summer to land the first successful shot. A minute later, the Spartans responded with a goal of their own.

Keren drew a foul with two minutes left in the quarter and narrowly missed a goal, as the ball hit the top crossbar. 

Senior Keren Eisenberg passes the ball to a teammate in the second quarter. As the final home game of the season, this match marked the team’s senior night, with the stands packed with supportive friends and family members. (Eva Cheng)
Senior Summer Adler winds up for a shot during the third quarter. Both sides struggled to maintain possession at the start of the second half, trading goals back and forth.

In the last thirty seconds of the quarter, Mountain View scored a goal and blocked Harker’s final shot, bringing the score to 4-2 with the Eagles in the lead. 

Senior Summer Adler winds up for a shot during the third quarter. Both sides struggled to maintain possession at the start of the second half, trading goals back and forth. (Eva Cheng)
Melody brings the ball over her head, getting ready to launch the ball in the fourth quarter. The Eagles once again prevented the Spartans from netting any goals in the final quarter.

Two minutes into the third quarter, Zoe scored a shot, and the Spartans returned one immediately after. Harker intercepted a deep pass, drawing a foul and allowing Mountain View to earn a penalty shot. Several more goals by both sides dotted the quarter. The quarter ended with Harker leading 8-5.

Summer scored the first goal of the final quarter. After receiving a long pass from Jasmine, frosh field player Alrisha Chen executed a lob shot over the Mountain View goalkeeper’s head. Several more goals by the Eagles widened the scoring margin to 12-5 and secured a clear victory for Harker over Mountain View as the match came to a close.

Melody brings the ball over her head, getting ready to launch the ball in the fourth quarter. The Eagles once again prevented the Spartans from netting any goals in the final quarter. (Claire Tian)
Varsity girls water polo seniors smile for a picture with their mothers. The team concluded their season with an overall record of 17-6. (Victor Gong)

Reflecting on the last couple of months, Coach Szieben admires the seniors’ growth over their high school careers and how they set an example for the team this year.

“Celebrating my seniors and their journey both in the pool and outside the pool is my favorite part of the night,” he said. “They’re a huge part of the team, and I’m really appreciative of that.”

The Eagles won their final season game against Los Gatos 9-5 on Thursday, bringing their overall season record to 17 wins and 6 losses.

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