![“[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)
Varsity boys soccer defeated Eastside College Prep 5-1 on Davis Field on Wednesday.
The Eagles maintained steady pressure on the opponent’s side throughout the first half of the game. Within 10 minutes of the game, forward Cyrus Ghane (11) scored after receiving a pass from defender Ruhan Sahasi (12). Forward Vova Shchegrov (10) again took the ball into offense but kicked the ball out of bounds.
Forward Ryder Hewitt (11) attempted a shot 15 minutes into the game but the Eastside goalkeeper dove to block it. Although the Eagles maintained possession in the offensive half, they struggled to score until midfielder Vinayak Sinha (11) received a horizontal pass from defender Jonathan Wang (12) and scored to restore the Eagles’ momentum. Vinayak scored again a minute after from the same pass, closing the first half with a score of 3-0.
Reflecting on the team’s defensive plays, defender Steven Jiang (12) noted how the team had implemented past feedback.
“Before, the coach said we needed to work more defensively and we needed to communicate more and mark every player,” Steven said. “We didn’t do that in the past games, but actually this game, we did pretty well defensively.”
In the second half, the Eagles continued on their offensive streak with renewed resolve. The team scored their second goal of the half off a header by forward Vouk Praun-Petrovic (11) which put the score at 5-0. Vova passed to Vouk, and the ball briefly left the Eagles’ possession, but Vouk managed to block the Panthers’ attempt at a goal. In a later play, however, an Eastside defender kicked the ball past goalkeeper Cameron Jones (10), granting the Panthers their first goal. After several battles of possession, the game ended with a score of 5-1.
Head coach Seena Sajadieh congratulated the boys on their win. As this is his first year coaching at Harker, he is working on acquainting himself with the team and pushing them to a higher standard.
“Coming into this game, we talked a lot about not being complacent, and I really was looking for defensive effort and a team effort on the defensive end,” Sajadieh said. “I saw that for basically the whole game, so I’m really proud of the boys for showing up and putting in a great effort today.”
The Eagles stepped up their efforts to coordinate and communicate in this game. Ryder believed the team’s plays worked smoothly but still sees room for improvement. The team has a little over a month left to play together before their season ends.
“It was calm, confident, and we just moved the ball bravely and got the job done,” Ryder said. “Some improvements that could be made are our energy, the tempo and speed of play.”
The team holds an overall 3-1-1 record and is scheduled to play Menlo School on Jan. 15.
