![“[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 lost to Sacred Heart Preparatory 0-2 on Feb. 19 in their last away league game.
Harker kicked off the game, and back-and-forth ensued between the two teams until the Eagles brought the ball to the Gator’s half of the field.
Harker dominated most of the shots for the next 20 minutes, but Sacred Heart’s strong defense prevented them from scoring. With the possession of the ball shifting between both teams from one end of the field to the other, the Eagles remained neck and neck with Sacred Heart, concluding the first half with a score of 0-0.
Father of midfielder Nathan Mao (9) Erji Mao noted the Eagles’ performance at halftime compared to their past games against Sacred Heart.
During the last minutes of the first half, the Eagles remained neck and neck with Sacred Heart, concluding with a score of 0-0.
“In the previous game between the two teams, the [Gators] were winning,” Mao said. “Right now, the score looks good. 0-0 is better than I expected.”
At the start of the second half, the Eagles kept the ball on the Gator’s side of the field. However, the Gators regained the ball after a few minutes and dribbled past Harker’s defense, scoring on Harker goalkeeper Mikhil Kiran (11) and bringing Sacred Heart to a 1-0 lead.
Forward Vova Shchegrov (10) commented on the team’s mindset at the start of the second half of the game.
“We’re all very supportive of each other even when we were down a goal,” Vova said. “It’s always good to have respect for the other team regardless of the result, so things can happen in the game, but after, it’s always good to shake their hand and say ‘good game.’”
Fifteen minutes after the goal, forward Cyrus Ghane (11) bolted past several defenders, but his shots were blocked by the Sacred Heart goalie.
Following a series of passes from each team attempting to maintain possession of the ball, Harker’s offense knocked the ball out of bounds on Sacred Heart’s side. With the following goal kick, forward Ryder Hewitt (11) intercepted the ball and took a shot, which the Sacred Heart goalie caught.
Upon the Gator’s throw-in a few minutes later, Sacred Heart players drove the ball to the Eagles’ side of the field, but Mikhil blocked their shots. Harker’s defense kicked the ball out of bounds. The Gators passed the ball between one another. On the following corner kick, the Gators found a gap in Harker’s defense and scored, bringing the score to 2-0 in the final minutes of the game.
Varsity boys soccer head coach Seena Sajadieh reflected on the team’s performance in their final match of the season. He expressed his pride in the players’ resilience throughout their games.
“Our team was doing pretty well against Sacred Heart, and we put in a great performance,” Sajadieh said. “We’re really physical, played really smart. Everything I’ve asked for the boys all season, they brought it together in this game, and everybody had their best performance.”
The team ended their season with an overall record of 9-8-1.
