![“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 defeated Mills High School 4-0 at an away game on Thursday.
Mills kicked off to start, but forward Aanya Sharma (11) intercepted the ball, beginning a back-and-forth as the teams traded possession. In the first minute, Aanya dribbled to the 10 yard line before a Viking defender cleared the ball out of bounds. Attacking midfielder MacEnzie Blue (12) stole the ball from the Vikings’ throw-in and attempted the first shot of the game, which was blocked by the Viking goalie.
Twenty minutes into the first half, defensive midfielder Kaitlyn Nelson (11) fired a free kick from the top of the box into the net after a passback violation by the Vikings goalkeeper, pulling the Eagles ahead 1-0. A Vikings player fouled defensive midfielder Niyati Ramanathan (10) at the twenty yard line, and midfielder Eva Cheng (12) converted the free kick to widen Harker’s lead 2-0.
“I’m just really proud of the girls and the way that they came together tonight,” Head Coach Taylor Ortiz said. “We’ve been working on creating space and using the nine, which is the forward, to create runs for us, and so today they did that very well. That’s how we got a majority of our goals.”
In the last 15 minutes of the first half, Eva brought down the ball from a Viking throw-in and passed to MacEnzie. After a back-and-forth passing sequence, Eva drove the ball to the 10 yard line and took a shot that hit the crossbar. The Eagles were unable to score for the remainder of the first half, ending with a 2-0 advantage.
The Vikings pushed into the Eagles’ side of the field to open the second half, but center back Mia Ji (9) intercepted the ball, and goalie Deniz Ertem (9) played the ball back upfield. Eva slipped a ball in behind Mills’ back line to Aanya, who drove to the endline and cut back a cross that Emma finished extending Harker’s lead to 3-0. Mills attempted to move the ball out of their half, but Kaitlyn quickly won possession to continue launching attacks at the Vikings’ goal.
“I think they’re getting better as the season goes on,” Jeffrey Blue, father of MacEnzie, said. “They know each other a little bit better; they know how they play. I know there’s a lot of new players in the team this year, but I think overall they’re learning what the other players do and how to work the ball around [and] becoming more comfortable with each other.”
Winger Emma Wang (10) dribbled the ball forward before the Vikings gained control and cleared the ball out. During a 50-50 battle in the midfield, center back Audrey Yang (12) stepped up to win the ball and sent it toward the Vikings’ defensive line. MacEnzie cut off Mills’ passing options by putting them under pressure, forcing the Vikings to play long balls that strayed out of bounds.
Fifteen minutes in, Kaitlyn threw in and created a near scoring chance for the Eagles that rolled wide of the goal. Mills took a goal kick, but Cynthia sent the ball straight back toward the Vikings’ half.
Kaitlyn chased down a Mills forward, and Deniz collected the ball, punting it deep. Aanya flicked a pass on to Emma, who carried the ball down the entire half to put away a one-v-one against the Vikings goalie, sealing a 4-0 victory.
“This was one of our first games where we really clicked as a team, and we were getting all the passes, and making all the plays, and it definitely showed in the score,” Kaitlyn said. “My highlight was the goal where Aanya crossed it to Emma, and then Emma scored, because that was just completely flawless. That’s the type of play we work for every practice, and to see it in a game is like all of our work is paying off.”
The team holds a record of 5-3 and will play Pinewood School next in an away game tomorrow.
