On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Archie Williams boys varsity water polo team defeated the San Rafael High School Bulldogs 14-5 in their home pool, securing their third win of the season. With highly competitive play and offensive prowess, the Falcons fought until the end to gain the win.

The first quarter opened with the Falcons beating the Bulldogs in the sprint, securing the first possession. They moved with their momentum from the sprint, with Falcons’ senior Jacob Carrera scoring in the first 28 seconds. A stop on defense for the Falcons led to another goal 20 seconds later by senior Vincent Krilanovich to increase their lead to 2-0.

With the Falcons favored to win the quarter, they continued to attack the Bulldogs on defense, scoring five more times during the quarter. Defensive stops and impressive saves from Falcon goalie junior Josh Dixon created a comfortable lead. The Bulldogs scored once to conclude the first quarter in the Falcons’ favor with a lead of 7-1.

“We all really feel connected. I felt like everybody understood each other during the game, and I thought that led to a good performance,” said junior Ben Gross.

The Falcons won the sprint at the start of the second quarter, and scored during the possession. The Bulldogs scored quickly after, but remained down six goals, bringing the score to 8-2. A counterattack lob goal from senior Max Gauna and multiple saves from Josh put the Falcons up 9-2 at the end of the half.

“All we’ve been working on [so far this season] is our defense, and it’s really showing in our games,” Josh said.

In the third quarter, the Bulldogs won the sprint, hoping to sway the momentum their way, leaving the Falcons on defense. Penalties committed by the Falcons’ defense awarded the Bulldogs two back-to-back penalty shots, both of which Josh saved. A counterattack goal from senior Jack Podboy brought the Falcons up 10-2. The third quarter ended after a goal from both teams and a missed one-on-one opportunity from the Falcons, shifting the score to 11-3.

As the fourth and final quarter began, the Falcons started off on defense again, with the Bulldogs winning the sprint. The Falcons won the ball back but missed scoring opportunities. The Bulldogs continued to pressure them, with another goal that brought the score to 11-4. The Falcons responded with a goal from junior Ben Bergen.

Each team scored once more, with sophomore Sinjin Scozzaro increasing the Falcons’ lead to 13-5 with five minutes left. After a final save from Josh and a penalty shot scored by Ben, the Falcons won the game 14-5.

“To win the next game, [we need] to be consistent on our defense and finish our one-on-one shots against the goalie. We missed quite a few, so fixing that will definitely help,” said boys varsity water polo head coach Steve Carrera.

The Falcons now shift their attention to their next game Sept. 24 against College Park High School. They look to continue their win streak, and they hope to win the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) which they placed second in last year with a record of eight wins and two losses, and continue on as far as possible in North Coast Section (NCS).