On Thursday, Oct. 30, the Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team faced off against the Redwood High School Giants in an intense semi-finals Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) match at the Falcons’ home pool. Archie Williams entered the semi-finals ranked first, making this single-elimination match a high-pressure battle for a spot in the finals and a chance at redemption after their previous loss to the Giants. The rivalry matchup concluded with an impressive 6-4 win for the Falcons, setting the tone for the rest of their MCAL season and moving them to the MCAL finals. 

“We got the outcome we wanted, and to prepare for the game,… We played them before in the league and we lost to them, which was tough, but we knew what we had to do to come back,… they had a star player and we had to just shut her down and that’s what won us the game,” said junior Holly Hovey.

The first quarter started strongly for Archie Williams, despite Redwood starting with possession of the ball, with a decisive goal by Holly in the first five minutes. The Falcons continued to maintain command throughout the first quarter, as sophomore Josephine Davis scored another point, culminating in a 2-0 lead. 

The second quarter began with a lot of momentum as the Falcons started with the ball and received immediate blocks from freshman goalie Lulu Poser. After continuous early shot attempts, sophomore Elsa Kastner scored a powerful strike that the Giants’ goalie got a hand on, but ultimately slipped through her fingers and into the net. The Giants continued to shoot attempts on the Falcons’ goal, all stopped by forceful blocks from Lulu. 

Despite two goals for the Giants, Holly quickly stole the ball and took it up the pool, finishing with a sneaky shot, adding another point to the Falcons’ total. The Falcons kept their steady energy till the end of the first half, closing it out with a goal by sophomore Taylor Fahy, leaving the score at 5-2. 

By the third quarter, the Falcons kept their lead with powerful assists from seniors Sylvie Fine and Nadya Wachelka. The Giants responded quickly with two goals of their own, making a close comeback and leaving the score 5-4. 

The team prepared for weeks before the match, “Our defense was really solid and we did a great job of playing team defense… We have been preparing over the past few weeks by working on plays and adjusting our defense to Redwood’s team,” Sylvie said. 

During the final minutes of the game, tensions were high, and Elsa shot a long shot when the Giants’ goalie was out of the box, rolling in at the last second, and concluding the game with a victory for Archie Williams, 6-4. 

“I thought that the game went super well, and I am really proud of how the team worked together, and it was really cool how we started out so strong; it was very impressive,” Nadya said.

The Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team looks to continue its fight in the MCAL finals at the next game, Saturday, Nov. 1, at 12 p.m. at home, against rival Tamalpais High School.