![“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 Crystal Springs Uplands School 0-5 in their league playoff game, with the winner advancing to Central Coast Section, for their final match of the season on Wednesday.
Forward Natalie Barth (12) kicked off the game, and the two teams traded possession in the opening minutes. Applying pressure early on, the Gryphons advanced toward the Eagles’ half of the field. Within five minutes, they fired a shot toward the goal but missed. Crystal Springs remained on offense for the next few minutes, creating several attacking chances near the box.
After the ball was kicked out by the Gryphons, wingback Cynthia Xie (11) restarted play with a throw-in to midfielder Eva Cheng (12), who passed it back and forth with midfielder Ava Zarkesh (11). Eva attempted to cross the ball to forward Aanya Sharma (11), but the two failed to connect, and the ball rolled out.
“We just wanted to put our all into it, try to get tight on the people from the other team and try to get the ball out and away,” defender Sophie Han (10) said. “It’s the last game of our season, so we’re trying to enjoy it, and we’re league champions, so that’s something we get to be happy about. We did a really good job taking any goal-scoring opportunities we had, and we shot the ball whenever we could.”
Eva dribbled around her defenders to the half and passed to midfielder MacEnzie Blue (12). MacEnzie sent a through ball forward to Aanya, but the Gryphons intercepted to gain possession. Harker struggled to maintain possession, allowing Crystal Springs to attempt a shot toward the goal. Goalie Riya Samuel (11) managed to clear the ball out, keeping the score tied with no goals going into halftime.
“We’re best when we’re composed,” head coach Taylor Ortiz said. “We do the little things like checking our shoulder, making sure our first touch is good, making sure we’re moving off the ball, just playing our game, trying not to get sucked into the fear of who we’re going up against, what they do, that kind of stuff.”
After regrouping at halftime, where Ortiz emphasized communication and carry-through, Harker opened the second half immediately under pressure. Although Crystal Springs’ players neared Harker’s goal several times, Harker maintained a tight defense, kicking the ball out of the sidelines to prevent the Gryphons from capitalizing on any dangerous attacks.
Seven minutes into the half, Eva gained possession and launched a shot toward the Gryphons’ goal, but their goalie secured the ball. Following a Harker foul while dueling for the ball, Crystal Springs shot a free kick from 20 yards out that landed in the left side of the net, bringing the score to 0-1.
Crystal Springs found long passes between players to break through Harker’s defense, allowing them a wide-open shot toward the goal. While Riya initially caught the ball, it bounced out of her grasp, and a Gryphon player crossed it in front of the goal to an open player who finished for 0-2. Riding their momentum, Crystal Springs capitalized on Harker’s struggles to clear the ball, allowing them to break through and score a third goal minutes later.
Eva then launched the ball far forward, and Emma sprinted after it to the top of the box but was unable to catch up. Crystal Springs counterattacked quickly, and despite Riya’s dive, they landed the ball back into the net with fourteen minutes remaining in the match.
Two minutes later, the Gryphons made long passes between each other to advance upfield before sending a shot toward Riya. While she first caught the ball outside the net, a Crystal Springs player stole it from her and kicked it into the goal again, sealing the game 0-5.
MacEnzie’s mother Christina Blue reflected on her daughter’s four years with the team and the emotions the game elicited.
“It’s such a way to wrap up their last game, and especially for our four seniors, it’s just very heartfelt and really hard for me as a mom,” Blue said. “They played really well against a very, very competitive opponent. I’m so bummed for the girls, but I love that they fought hard today, and I’m very proud of them.”
The team ended the season with a 13-4-2 record and won the WBAL Skyline Division league championship title.
