William Jiang

Driver David Tang (11) surges out of the water for a powerful shot. David was a key piece in the Eagles’ offense, scoring two of their goals and setting up several plays with his passing.

Junior varsity boys water polo came up short against Prospect High School 7-17 at the Singh Aquatic Center during Harker Day on Saturday.

Prospect took an early 0-3 lead, as Harker was unable to break through the Prospect defense. Driver Siddharth Hosakere (9) ended the Eagles’ scoring drought with a long-range shot, but the Panthers immediately responded with a goal to bring the score to 1-4.

Following a Harker timeout, driver Boxuan Shan (10) converted a pass from goalie Viraaj Burli (9). Driver Ido Eyal (10) scored back-to-back goals from a counterattack and a penalty to tie the game at 4-4. The Eagles forced numerous turnovers, including multiple steals from driver Mason Chang (9) to maintain the even score until the end of the quarter.

Boxuan reflected on the team’s positive offensive performance in the first quarter.

“We definitely played better as a team today,” Boxuan said. “We were coordinating our offensive drives and passing. We still need to work on the basics like swimming up and down the pool to make sure that we can get back on defense for each other.”

After winning the swim-off to start the second quarter, Prospect seized an early 4-5 lead. Driver David Tang (11) responded with a skip shot from the perimeter that tied the score 5-5. On the next possession, Boxuan intercepted a pass and swam down the pool for a breakaway goal, giving the Eagles their first lead of the game at 6-5. The Panthers responded with counterattacks, scoring three goals in a row and ending the first half up 6-8. 

In the third quarter, Harker’s finishing declined, as they failed to convert multiple close scoring opportunities as several shots from Siddharth hit the post while others were saved by Prospect’s goalie. The Panthers capitalized on the Eagles’ misses to score off of counterattacks, scoring five points in a row to widen the gap to 6-13. 

Head coach Garrett Duardo noted that fatigue and adjustments played a role in Prospect’s dominance in the second half.

“We got tired, and they started to figure out what we were doing, so they were making plays against that,” Duardo said. “We’re new to this system, so it’s hard for us to adjust on the fly. We need to work on our system and build on it depending on what situation happens.”

David scored in the last possession of the quarter to break Prospect’s 8-point run, ending the quarter at 7-13. Team manager Yash Greene (12) highlighted David as a star player throughout the match.

“David could get on his legs, and he could finish his shots,” Yash said. “He was doing well getting open and releasing the ball. He did a good job passing and being a team player.”

Prospect won the final swim-off and struck early with a long shot through multiple defenders to bring their lead to 7-14. Harker responded aggressively with Ido forcing a turnover, but his counter shot rattled off the crossbar. The Eagles continued to create scoring opportunities that were denied by the opposing goalie or narrowly missed. Prospect added three more counterattack goals to close the game 7-17.

Despite the loss, Duardo remained positive about the team’s development.

“We don’t have our goalie right now. He’s in concussion protocol, but we played well,” Duardo said. “We’re getting better, and one of our best players moved up to varsity, so we’re working without a key player. We’re learning how to play a new style of water polo, and we’re improving each game.”

The team will play Gunn High School next in an away game tomorrow.