Sam Li

Bartu Milci (9) lobs the ball over an opposing player to find a teammate. Though temporarily injured at the start of the second half, he returned and created several key passes for teammates.

Junior varsity boys water polo lost to Saint Mary’s High School in their 2-20 season opener on Saturday.

Saint Mary’s opened the game by winning the swim-off to gain possession and converted a five-meter penalty after a foul on the shot. On their next possession, they earned a one-on-one off a fast break, but goalie Kyle Chun (9) blocked the shot. Saint Mary’s forced a steal off of Harker’s pass and scored.

A Harker foul led to another penalty for Saint Mary’s. Kyle stopped the initial attempt, but the Saints capitalized on the rebound to extend their lead to 2-0. With a series of quick counters and cross passes, Saint Mary’s pushed the score to 5-0. With a minute left in the first quarter, driver Luka Degoricija (11) stole the ball and took a shot that sailed wide. The first quarter ended 6-0 after a Saints counterattack. 

Kyle commented on the challenges of facing constant pressure in goal during his first league game.

“[We] got blown out, but we still kept on fighting,” Kyle said. “We didn’t give up and that’s all that mattered. We were 80% on defense, and 20% on offense, so sometimes we have to even that out. There were three that easily went by me, but they did shoot from two or three meters out, so I feel content with how I played, especially since it was my first game in goal.”

After winning the sprint in the second quarter, Saint Mary’s scored quickly. Harker created a six-on-five power play opportunity after hole set Rohan Kaushal (9) drew an ejection. However, he missed wide from the six-meter range. After a timeout with four minutes left on the clock, Luka attempted a shot but turned the ball over. On the next play, Saint Mary’s scored again on a man-up possession.

Harker scored their first goal when Luka stole the ball from the Saint Mary’s goalie and scored from two meters, cutting the deficit to 7-1. The Saints responded with back-to-back goals from cross passes to lead 10-1 at halftime. 

Center defender Adithya Sathyanarayanan (10) noted that the game served as an important learning experience, especially for many new members on the team. He also pointed out key areas of improvement for himself.

“It was more of a development game for the players who showed up,” Adithya said. “There was an opportunity for everyone to get playing time and to build their skills against an opponent on a higher level. Personally, I could work on awareness a little more because there were times where I could have stolen the ball from the opponent or gotten open and made a shot or pass.”

In the second half, driver Bartu Milci (9) briefly stepped out with an injury, forcing the Eagles to play with five players, during which time Saint Mary’s scored twice more. Drivers Ido Eyal (10) and Mason Chang (9) made consecutive shot blocks to deny the Saints on one possession. On offense, Bartu, Adithya and Mason created scoring opportunities for each other with passes across the pool. Their shots were blocked or missed, however, leading to more counter-attack goals. By the end of the third, Saint Mary’s had pulled ahead 15-1. 

The fourth quarter began with another Saint Mary’s goal off the sprint. Kyle notched a save and set up Rohan on a counter, but he missed the one-on-one attempt. Later, Rohan found the back of the net with a set play, but the goal was called off for an offensive foul. With under two minutes left, Adithya drew a five-meter foul that Rohan converted, leading to Harker’s second goal. The Eagles ultimately lost 20-2 to Saint Mary’s.

Junior varsity boys head coach Garrett Duardo, who joined Harker this year, emphasized that the team’s effort mattered more than the scoreline. Since several key players were absent, the Eagles played without substitutes for the whole game, which served as a challenge for the players.

“We didn’t have a lot of players — we had exactly enough to field a team,” Duardo said. “But overall, I’m proud of the guys. For a lot of these guys, it’s their first time ever playing, and it’s a hard sport, so there’s a big learning curve. We took the opportunities that were given to us and we played hard, all four quarters with no break and no rest. We’ve gotten better, so we’re digging little steps and building towards the end of the season to win more games.”

The team currently holds a record of 0-1 and faces Valley Christian next in a home game on Saturday.