On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Archie Williams boys varsity water polo team faced the Marin Academy Wildcats in a Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game. The Falcons put the game away early, taking the lead in the opening minutes and holding on to secure the win and take down the Wildcats 18-10 at home.
The Falcons started the first quarter strong by winning the sprint and capitalizing on their first possession with a goal from sophomore Blake Baxley. The Falcons were able to maintain their early momentum as Chris Tomlin scored a goal of his own, deflecting off the crossbar and in. The Wildcats ramped up the intensity, attacking the goal with force, but senior goalie Josh Dixon made crucial saves, limiting the damage and holding the score 2-0. The Wildcats’ momentum towards the goal slowed down as the Falcons countered with goals from senior Nolan Anderson and Chris.
The second quarter began with Marin Academy on a roll, scoring their first goal of the game to bring the score to 4-1. The Falcons quickly forced a turnover to junior Nate Greenberg, who took the opportunity to score an open goal, strengthening the Falcons’ lead. Nate feels that his team’s overall performance won the game, but could use work.
“We did well. We definitely deserved the win, but we could’ve done better, and we definitely need to for the upcoming Tam game,” Nate said.
As the second quarter came to an end, sophomore Beckett Kaye stole the ball and assisted Ben Baxley, who scored. Nolan continued to score two goals in a row, stretching the Falcon lead. Marin Academy started to turn it around, scoring twice, but senior Lucas Gallagher came in with an unexpected shot, beating Marin Academy’s defense. Finally, Nate wrapped up the quarter with a quick steal and goal. Archie Williams kept their spirits high with a halftime score of 12-7.
The third quarter of the game started with intense hustle, multiple shots from the Falcons, and a goal from Beckett. The Wildcats began to gain momentum with a goal, but Nate responded with another score to quiet their surge.
The Falcons dominated in the fourth quarter as well, allowing many of the substitutes to get more minutes in the match, including back-up goalie Gabe Porter, who had several impressive saves during the final period.
“What led us to this win today was practicing our drop defense and running our offense really well,” Chris said.
Looking forward, the Falcons are gearing up for MCAL playoffs, where they play Marin Catholic Tuesday, Oct. 28 at home.
