![“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 lacrosse won against Wilcox High School 11-2 on April 8 on Davis Field.
After the draw, attacker Ruhi Banerjee (12) scooped up a ground ball and ran it to Wilcox’s side. After a few passes by Harker, Wilcox took possession, but defender Eva Cheng (12) chased a Wilcox attacker out of bounds. Following another offensive by the Chargers which fell short, the Eagles regained possession and ran the ball back to the Chargers’ side, with Ruhi to score the first point of the game.
The Chargers won the next draw and scored, bringing the score to 1-1. After a failed attack to score by Harker, Wilcox regained possession, but defender Sofe Jalil (10) scooped a ground ball and threw it to Ruhi, assisted Masha Sokolova (9) for Harker’s second point of the game. The Eagles won the draw, but a Charger regained possession by checking the ball and ran the ball to Harker’s side, allowing the Chargers to score another point. After a long period of exchanging possessions, the Eagles managed to secure the ball, and attacker Audrey Dagum (12) scored within the last minute of the quarter, bringing the score to 3-2.
Goalie Samantha Teachworth (10) noted how the team implemented techniques they had been working on during practice, despite feeling challenged in the first quarter.
“We did really good double teaming and containing because they were running a lot down, and we stopped a lot in the midfield, which helps a lot on the goalie standpoint,” Samantha said. “I got a little bit overwhelmed in the first quarter. I was stressed because they got their two goals. Then I got a lot of support, and that helped a lot.”
At the beginning of the second quarter, Harker gained possession and brought the ball to the Chargers’ side, but a shot by Ruhi was blocked by the Wilcox goalie. The Chargers regained possession, but Eva stole the ball and passed to Masha. With an assist from Ruhi, midfielder Mia Ji (9), scored the first goal of the second quarter at 4-2. Masha got the ball after the draw and assisted Ruhi in scoring another point for the Eagles. After an offensive by the Chargers, Audrey took possession and passed to Ruhi. Ruhi passed to Masha who got the ball in during the last second of the quarter, bringing the score to 6-2.
“I was better at communicating and getting open,” Masha said. “We had better communication as a team, and we did a lot more passes and assists. We’ve been using the plays we’ve been learning. A lot of my teammates had good assists.”
In the third quarter, the Chargers won the draw, but defenders Sofe and Saanica Sancheti (9) pushed the Wilcox attacker out of bounds. Mia scored, bringing the score to 7-2. After a rally, attacker Tvisha Ganesh (11) scored with an assist by Masha. Midfielder Yena Yu (12) took possession from the draw and threw to Masha who scored another point. Wilcox gained possession and brought the ball to Eagles’ side, making two shots, but Samantha blocked both. Masha scored another point with an assist from Mia, leading Harker to finish the third quarter 10-2.
Ruhi took a shot that fell short at the start of the fourth quarter, allowing the Chargers to take control of the ball. The teams exchanged possession before Eva secured the ball and passed to Yena, who aimed for the goal but missed. After a Wilcox attacker went out of bounds, Masha fought for the ball and passed to Yena, who scored the final point of the game, concluding with the Eagles winning 11-2.
The team had played against Wilcox previously, and head coach Christopher Hurshman felt that this game was more challenging because the team was putting more pressure on Harker’s players in this game than the first one.
“I’m proud of the fact that we demonstrated a lot of growth and maturity,” Hurshman said. “We’ve been working hard on maintaining our focus and making sure that we’re depending on each other and not rushing things, and we did a lot more of that throughout the game, and I think eventually those good habits paid off.”
The team holds a 3-2 record and is scheduled to play Harbor High School on April 17.
