On Thursday, Oct. 16, the Archie Willams boys varsity polo team defeated the Marin Catholic Wildcats in a Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) matchup with an impressive 15-8 home victory. The Falcons showed out on senior night, displaying formidable defense and determination in front of an energetic home crowd. 

Before the game, the stands were packed with Archie Williams students and families, who came out to support the team and celebrate senior night. All the seniors on the team got their moment in the spotlight, posing with their families and receiving love and applause from the crowd. Senior Ben Bergen performed the national anthem on an electric guitar, hyping up the team and the fans with the rock and roll energy.

“It felt great to play the national anthem for my teammates and all others watching. It was an honor to be asked to do it. The crowd was super supportive, and hearing them cheer definitely got me and the team more hyped up for the game,” Ben said.

The first quarter of the game started with stunning offense and lockdown defense for the Falcons, with the Falcons scoring the first goal of the game. Archie Williams continued to shut down Marin Catholic’s offense, forcing multiple possessions in a row without a score. The Falcons’ offense continued to build the lead, with two more unanswered goals from senior Lucas Gallagher and junior Nate Greenberg. 

The Wildcats momentarily gained momentum, with their first goal of the game and a series of defensive stops. Archie Williams’ offense quickly regained their footing, with Lucas and Nate scoring two more quick goals. Sophomore Beckett Kaye closed out the quarter with a goal assisted with a long pass from senior goalkeeper Josh Dixon, increasing the Falcons’ lead at the end of the first quarter to 6-1.

The second quarter started with Marin Catholic winning the tipoff, capitalizing with a quick goal to start the quarter. The game then became much more defensively focused, with both teams blocking shots and forcing misses. Josh blocked five shots during this span, anchoring Archie Williams’ defense.

Junior Chase Stein ended the scoring drought for the Falcons, scoring after an assist from junior Nico Rendic. After repeated possessions with no score for either team, Ben scored the final goal of the quarter, bringing the score to 8-2 for Archie Williams at halftime. 

The third quarter saw the offense open up for both teams, with neither team taking its foot off the gas. The Wildcats scored the first goal of the quarter, but the Falcons quickly responded with two goals of their own. Marin Catholic then scored a penalty shot, followed by another quick goal, fighting for momentum. 

Sophomore Blake Baxley then quickly scored after a great pass from Nate, followed by another goal from senior Ben Gross. The Wildcats scored another goal, but the Falcons ended the quarter with a flashy behind-the-back goal, with the third quarter ending 13-6. The Falcons focused this game on highlighting the seniors. 

“I think our goal was just to get the ball to the seniors. We want them to have a good game because they worked really hard for this. I think every single senior has played water polo all four years at Archie Williams, so tonight was really just about celebrating them, honoring their hard work, and just having a fun night,” Ben Gross said. 

The fourth quarter would see little drama, with the Falcons holding a dominant lead. Archie Williams and Marin Catholic scored two goals each in the quarter, with both teams battling evenly. Despite the efforts of the third and fourth quarters, the Wildcats couldn’t overcome the deficit. 

Senior night ended in a 15-8 win for the Falcons, giving them another MCAL victory and elevating their record to 10-8 overall and 5-2 in MCAL games. This win bumped the Falcons up from fifth place in MCALs to third, behind the Redwood High School Giants and Tamalpais High School Hawks. Head Coach Matthew Swanson was highly pleased with the team’s performance.

“I thought everyone played great. We had really nice shot blocking, and we played unselfishly with some nice passes. I liked our defense a lot, I thought we played great defense,” Swanson said.

Swanson feels sentimental about the seniors and their development over the years. 

“I have been here 25 years, I’ve coached 25 years of seniors, it’s awesome to see them become good members of society. I’m just trying to make them become the best people they can be, and hopefully, they learn a little bit of water polo along the way. I’m just proud of what kind of people they are,” Swanson said. 

The Falcons will be preparing to face another MCAL rival, Marin Academy, in their next game at home Wednesday, Oct. 22, at five p.m.