On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team took on the Marin Academy Wildcats at the Falcons home pool. Both teams entered the matchup ranked in the top four of the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) and have already secured their spots in next week’s playoffs, where the top six teams advance. In a fast-paced and competitive game against one of their top rivals, the Falcons fought hard and came out on top with a 16–9 victory.
Archie Williams came into the game holding the number one spot in the league, while Marin Academy was ranked fourth. The Falcons’ strong communication and teamwork were central to their performance, with players coordinating effectively on both offense and defense.
“We were looking at two things. One was to help defense—making sure we’re not isolating and leaving people out on a defensive island. On offense, we focused on making the right pass at the right time to the right player, and today it showed,” said Archie Williams head coach, Todd Duplanty.
The first quarter started off with high energy from both teams. After many early shot attempts, junior Holly Hovey scored on a 5-meter penalty shot to give the Falcons a lead. Marin Academy took numerous shots on goal, but Falcon freshman goalkeeper Lulu Poser made several crucial saves to stop the Wildcats.
“I was very proud in the first quarter when a set from [Marin Academy] backhanded on me and I was able to get the block, which was really good,” Lulu said.
Soon after, sophomore Elsa Kastner added another point to the Falcons’ total, while the Wildcats missed a crucial opportunity on their next possession. By the end of the quarter, Archie Williams held a commanding 6–1 lead.
Throughout the first half, pressure from both teams remained strong as they traded goals in a tough stretch for victory. An early Marin academy score in the second quarter was immediately followed by an assist from Holly, which led to another goal from Elsa, making the score 7-3. The matchup against the Wildcats was challenging for many players, but the Falcons came well-prepared.
“In big games like this one, we all did one big deep breath together which was very helpful […] we’ve been practicing how to get out of a drop, and I think we executed it well,” said Archie Williams sophomore Taylor Fahy.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Archie Williams continued to play strong with an early goal from Taylor, assisted by sophomore Josephine Davis. The Wildcats responded quickly with a goal of their own, followed by another goal from Archie Williams, pushing the lead to 9-5. Sophomore Hazel Pewtherer scored another goal for Archie Williams to cap off the third quarter.
During the final minutes of the game, the Wildcats attempted to close the gap by adding two points to their overall score and saving yet another shot from Holly. Though Marin Academy played hard, another goal by Hazel extended the lead again to 13-6. Later in the quarter, a corner shot from Taylor brought the score to 15-7. The Falcons extended their lead late in the game again, holding off Marin Academy’s final efforts to close the gap, and the match ended 16-9 in favor of the Falcons.
The Archie Williams girls varsity team looks to carry over their strength into their next game in the MCAL semi-finals Thursday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. at home, with their opponent still to be determined.
