![“[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 girls soccer defeated Westmont High School 2-1 on Davis Field on Jan. 8.
For the first ten minutes of the game, the Eagles and Warriors exchanged possession of the ball with no team at an advantage. However, 15 minutes in, forward Claire Anderson (12) seized an opening in the Warriors’ defense to dribble the ball across the field and score the first goal. Fifteen minutes after the Eagles’ goal, a Warriors player entered the goalie box and nearly scored but goalkeeper Kylie Anderson (12) blocked the shot.
Midfielder Eva Cheng (11) scored a header off of Kaitlyn Nelson (10)’s corner kick, bringing Harker up 2-0 25 minutes into the game. Thwarting the Eagles’ offense, the Warriors strengthened their defense, but the first half still closed with a score of 2-0.
Kaitlyn commended the successful offensive plays by her teammates in the game.
“As a team, we have good passing patterns and connections,” Kaitlyn said. “Some of our players dribbled through a lot of their players.”
At the start of the second half, the Eagles mostly kept the ball on Westmont’s half. Claire and Eva took shots on goal, both of which were blocked by the Warriors’ goalie.
In the middle of the second half, the Warriors scored their first goal of the game by dribbling the ball through their players and kicking it past goalkeeper Kylie Anderson (12). After gaining possession of the ball 24 minutes into the second half, the Warriors attempted another shot that Kylie dove to block. After two more shots by Claire and Eva, which the opposing goalkeeper blocked, the score remained 2-1 with the Eagles in the lead. Kylie saved a Warriors’ attempt at a goal right before the end of the game, securing the Eagles’ victory.
Jeff Anderson, Claire’s dad, came to support the girls in the crowd. He plans to attend all the Eagles’ games this season.
“I thought it was great,” Jeff said. “The girls played well, and it was fun to have some Westmont families here to cheer on their team. Both of our goals were really great, and Kylie made a couple of really nice saves in goal to seal the win.”
The players’ performance also impressed head coach Brandon Pena, who complimented their work ethic and enthusiasm.
“They’re working hard,” Coach Pena said. “Being able to keep their formation and communicate was a good strength. We’re trying to build that over the course of sessions, and they had two weeks off, so they came back prepared.”
The team currently holds a 4-2 season record and plays Menlo School today.
