![“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)
Varsity girls soccer faltered against Fremont High School 0-1 in a closely contested match on Saturday.
Forward Natalie Barth (12) took the kick-off to open the game, passing the ball to midfielder Eva Cheng (12). The Eagles and Firebirds exchanged multiple possessions, and despite defender Cynthia Xie (11)’s attempt to intercept, Fremont pushed past Harker’s defense to score the first goal of the game. Eagles countered with strong offense, passing the ball to each other and dribbling up the field as forward Aanya Sharma (11) passed to Eva near the Firebirds’ goal. Midfielder Kaitlyn Nelson (11) then received the ball from Eva, taking a shot at the goal but narrowly missing.
Aanya noted the team’s strengths throughout the game, highlighting how their strategies attacked Fremont’s weaknesses.
“Even though we lost, I think this was one of our best-played games,” Aanya said. “We were connecting a lot of our passes. In the center, it was pretty open, so we were able to get a lot of through balls. We also took a lot of shots, which was good.”
Throughout the first half, goalkeeper Riya Samuel (11) delivered a series of crucial saves that prevented the Firebirds from extending their lead. The Eagles continued to apply pressure as Eva maneuvered through several Firebird defenders. However, several missed shots left the Eagles down 0-1 by the end of the first half.
Within two minutes of the second half, Eva stole the ball from a Firebird and dribbled the ball upfield, passing to Kaitlyn, who attempted a half-court shot that was blocked by Fremont’s goalie. Kaitlyn pushed the Firebirds to the endline, earning a corner kick. Eva took the shot, which bounced off the goal’s crossbar.
Center back and captain Audrey Yang (12) reflected on effective plays during the match and camaraderie formed since the start of the season.
“Our strongest strategy is when Eva has the ball — she drives us past two people and slips the wings, Emma and Aanya, and then they run and cross it,” Audrey said. “We took a lot more shots this game than other games. I enjoyed watching our team grow closer, and that bond really forms on the field as we connect more passes.”
Twenty minutes into the second half, the Firebirds began to attempt shots, all of which either missed or were blocked by the Eagles’ defensive players. Aanya and Eva made the most of openings in Fremont’s defense, but the goalie stopped their multiple attempts. Neither team scored, and the match ended with the Eagles still down 0-1.
“The scoreboard says a loss, but in our hearts, it definitely wasn’t,” Ortiz said. “It’s so early into the season, and they connected well in the middle. That helps get the ball up out of our defense. I’m looking forward to seeing what else we’re capable of. We’re only three games in, and we’re playing this well with each other against teams in leagues higher than us.”
The team holds an overall record of 2-1 and will play Rancho San Juan next on Saturday.
