![“[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 prevailed over Notre Dame Belmont 3-1 on Jan. 21 at Davis Field.
Notre Dame kicked off to start, but defender Audrey Yang (11) intercepted the pass. After a brief back and forth, midfielder Eva Cheng (11) took possession of the ball and passed to midfielder MacEnzie Blue (11). Forward Aanya Sharma (10) dribbled the ball down the field and made a shot, the ball missing the goal by just a few feet. Eva attempted another goal, but the Lion’s goalkeeper blocked it.
Forward and co-captain Claire Anderson (12) stole the ball and scored five minutes into the half, bringing the score 1-0. Notre Dame attempted several shots, which co-captain and goalkeeper Kylie Anderson (12) saved. Harker’s defensive players Ronica Khattri (10) and Sara Glusman (12) opened up space for the offensive players to pass.
Claire explained how the team has become more vocal while playing over the course of the season.
“Our team’s communication has improved tremendously,” Claire said. “I’m really proud of how our team was able to communicate effectively in this match. It’s just small things like ‘ball here’ or ‘man on,’ and we’ve done a really good job of that.”
Harker began with possession of the ball in the second half, with Eva driving down the field and attempting several shots. Although midfielder Kaitlyn Nelson (10) made several defensive interceptions, Notre Dame scored and tied the game at 1-1. Claire and Eva executed sharp passes that helped Harker drive the ball down the field, and Claire scored from the corner of the box, extending Harker’s lead to 2-1.
Audience member Rayan Arya (12) commended the team’s ability to maintain high spirits and stamina throughout the lengthy match.
“They’ve been pretty consistently good throughout the year,” Rayan said. “One thing that I think is pretty impressive is that no matter what, throughout the whole game – obviously it’s cold out here and the game is pretty long – they don’t seem to lose energy or faith in each other. As someone who plays a team sport, it’s just impressive to see how they keep morale up throughout the whole game.”
Aanya made offensive attacks towards the end of the game, driving the ball down the field. Though Harker received a free kick after a Notre Dame foul, the Lion’s goalie blocked the shot. Aanya scored by following her run through when the goalie tripped on the ball, concluding the match at 3-1.
After the match, Evan Barth, father of defensive player Natalie Barth (11) praised the Eagles for continuing to attempt goals but thought that they could have utilized differing plays to score more.
“If they are able to string more passes together to each other in the midfield and then look for the ball to a forward or overlap defenders, that would be an improvement,” Barth said. “The key takeaway is that they scored more goals than the other team – a team that’s historically been very good – so that’s exciting.
Varsity girls soccer currently holds an overall record of 6-5, and face Sacred Heart Preparatory next in a home game on Tuesday.
