![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Junior varsity boys soccer conceded a 3-4 loss to Piedmont Hills High School on Davis Field on Dec. 4.
Piedmont Hills opened the first half with the kickoff, but Harker quickly pressured the Pirates on their side of the field. Defender Colin Khun-Reardon (9) won an early interception and played the ball forward to co-captain and center midfielder Luca Barchietto (11) to start Harker’s first counterattack. Both sides traded possessions throughout the opening minutes. On the Eagles’ end, Luca (11) distributed passes through the midfield to create chances for the attackers.
Harker’s backline, supported by co-captain goalkeeper Michael Chinkov (10), defended Piedmont Hills’ attacks and maintained the score level at 0-0. Defender Ian Lee (11) cleared the ball after a steal from an opposing player, which resulted in a corner kick. Piedmont Hills curved the ball into the goal directly from the corner to bring the score to 0-1.
One minute later, Luca provided a through pass to midfielder Alexander Maxim (10), who drove down the right side past two defenders and crossed to winger Teddy Arnaudov (10). Teddy struck a left-foot volley to tie the match 1-1.
“From a midfielder’s perspective, I think we played well,” Luca said. I had some good passes to the wingers, and they did a good job with runs. We did a good job at being compact defensively, like our coach told us to in training. Our goalie made some great saves, and we did well to keep them in their half. Our backline held it steady, and despite some minor mistakes, we were able to keep the intensity throughout the match and push to the end.”
15 minutes into the first half, a Pirate’s player broke into a one-on-one situation and scored, regaining the lead 1-2. Harker continued to build attacks, but could not break through. Michael made several more saves, blocking close-range strikes in the box. Following another save from Michael, a Piedmont Hills player kicked the ball out of his hands and tapped it into the net, pulling the score to 1-3.
Responding back with sustained pressure, the Eagles created more opportunities. Winger Aditya Deka (10) made dribbles in the midfield, while Ian and Colin made key tackles to slow down the Pirate’s counters. Defenders Weston Smith (10) and Angus Wang (10) added clearances and tackles to prevent further goals.
With four minutes remaining in the half, striker Ossi Carrico (10) intercepted a pass from a Piedmont Hills defender and fired a shot into the net, cutting the deficit to 2-3 to end the half.
“It was my first soccer game, I wanted to make an impact for the team,” Ossi said. “We had strong stretches where we moved the ball well and created chances. I was able to get a good chance, and I scored from it, so I’m happy about that.”
Harker carried their momentum into the second half and continued to generate attacks. Ten minutes into the half, Alexander drew a foul thirty yards away from the goal. He converted the free kick, striking the ball off the crossbar and into the net to tie the match 3-3.
For the remainder of the half, both sides made multiple offensive chances. Winger Reyansh Gupta (9) made runs down the sideline to challenge the Pirates’ defense, and the Eagles kept the ball and limited the Pirates’ runs.
In the final minutes, Piedmont Hills earned a free kick near the top of the 18-yard box after a foul from Harker. The Pirates scored, bringing the score to 3-4 with less than two minutes left. Harker pushed forward but was unable to find an equalizer, ending the game in a 3-4 loss.
JV boys head coach Dominic Hertz noted the team’s response to setbacks and progress he saw during the match.
“The score line unfortunately went against us at the last minute,” Hertz said. “Although, it didn’t reflect the team’s resilient performance. These players were determined with immense focus, staying true to the system that we have been building and not dwelling on mistakes. I want to add how much joy it brings to see how well together this team is, how supportive they are to one another and how much they are willing to improve for as a player and genuinely as a person. Moments like these I believe create excitement for the future.”
The team now holds a 0-1 record and will face Milpitas in an away game on Friday.
