On Thursday, Oct. 16, Archie Williams girls varsity water polo faced off against the Marin Catholic Wildcats, winning handily. The match marked the team’s senior night, and the Falcons came together to celebrate their senior teammates. The Falcons blew the Wildcats out of the water in a landslide victory, securing their 14-7 record.
The Falcons started the game strong and took the first point when senior Sylvie Fine slotted in a goal on a penalty.
“[Sylvie] always works really hard for our team, and she’s a really good leader for our team, and just loves the sport, loves the team, and she just [adds] a great aspect to our games every day,” said junior Holly Hovey.
The Falcons continued to hold the defense tight for the rest of the quarter. Defense was a key element of the team’s victory, and Head Coach Todd Duplanty reinforced this point.
“When you only give up a couple of goals, that’s always a good day of defense,” Duplanty said.
Holly and sophomore Elsa Kastner dominated the second quarter, with Holly scoring twice and Elsa recording an assist and a goal. In correspondance with the Falcon’s strong offense, freshman goalkeeper Lulu Poser continued to spread her wings and saved numerous goals back-to-back.
The team’s morale was at an all-time high throughout the game, and it showed through the score. Holly feels that teamwork is essential for games like these.
“We work a lot to play together as a team, not [as] individuals, and I think that showed today, while we all played together,” Holly said.
During halftime, the team celebrated each of its seniors by presenting them with flowers and a commemorative speech from one of their teammates. The seniors’ families came out to support their players, and it was an overall heartwarming experience.
“It was super fun celebrating the seniors. And [overall a] super fun game today,” Holly said.
The Falcons started the third quarter off strong with a fast goal from sophomore Taylor Fahy, which only made the team work harder to get the win. Throughout, Lulu continued to block goal after goal from reaching the Falcons’ net.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons proved their determination wasn’t gone, scoring two more goals and closing the game with a final score of 9–3.
Senior Nadya Wachelka emphasized the team’s bond, an aspect of the program that has continually contributed to the girls’ success in the pool.
“We play really well together, and we’re just such a strong community, and especially us seniors, since we’re all really close,” Nadya said.
Archie Williams girls varsity water polo looks forward to their next game against Campolindo High School Friday, Oct. 17, at five p.m.
