On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team faced the Tamalpais High School Hawks in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals. The energy was high, with a full student section in attendance to witness the final. The game ended 13-7, with the Falcons securing their 10-1 record in the MCAL and winning the MCAL championship.
The Falcons opened strong, beginning with a quick goal by sophomore Josephine Davis, which was followed by two goals shortly after from junior Holly Hovey and sophomore Taylor Fahy. The first quarter ended 3-0 and quickly set the tone for the Falcons. Freshman goalkeeper Lulu Poser believes early game plays contributed significantly to the win.
“It was a key moment when we got that first counter, and everyone’s spirits just went up from there,” Lulu said.
The Hawks came out strong in the second quarter, scoring four back-to-back goals on the Falcons. Although the Falcons still had the lead, the team felt this quarter was challenging.
“I think the second quarter we switched out, but we were able to turn the light bulb back on, and we sparked back, and after we just kept on getting goal after goal after goal,” Holly said.
Despite the Falcons conceding 3 goals early in the second quarter, Holly secured an easy goal to counter. The Falcon’s defense and offense maintained the lead by at least four points for the majority of the game. Head Coach Todd Duplanty believes that both the Falcon’s defense and offense helped them win the game.
“[When] the girls came out, we played a complete game, offensively and defensively, and every time Tam took a swing, we came back and responded and took care of business,” Duplanty said.
The third quarter began with a goal from sophomore Elsa Kastner, followed by another goal from Holly. Lulu attributes the Falcon’s success to Holly’s dominant play throughout the game.
“Holly was just on fire, just making every shot, giving so many counters, so many steals,” Lulu said.
Holly scored a quick goal to begin the fourth quarter, and while the atmosphere was still high, much of the game had already occurred, and the Falcons just needed to maintain their lead.
The fourth quarter ended 13-7, leading to Archie Williams winning the MCAL finals match and the overall league. This game was crucial to the Falcons, who had previously lost to Redwood High School in the MCAL semifinals the previous year. Holly was extremely proud of the falcon’s performance and dedicated a significant portion of their success to the team’s hard work.
“We got the outcome we wanted. We worked so hard for this. Last year, we lost to Redwood in the semis, and this was such a pivot outcome. We won, and we’ve worked so hard for this in practice, and I’m just so proud of my team,” Holly said.
The Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team looks forward to their North Coast Section (NCS) games next week. Their opponent is still to be determined.
