On October 29, the Archie Williams girls varsity water polo team squared up with Redwood High School, competing for an MCAL championship at the Tamalpais High School pool. The Falcons (The 28 best in the country) defeated Marin Catholic in the semi-finals, while the Giants, (The 27 best in the country) beat Monte Vista High School. Both the Falcons and the Giants had great seasons, but also rough patches and tough losses throughout the year.

In the first quarter, the Falcons’ goalie Kaeley Sullivan led the defense, blocking all four shots that came her way. The Falcons’ offense passed well and looked sharp, but they weren’t able to score, holding the score at 0-0.

The second quarter saw three Falcon goals, two from Loretta Hovey and one from Cate Logan. Kaeley kept the Giants off of the scoreboard again, blocking another tough shot. The Giants had many promising attacks, but the Falcons’ defense held strong.

During the third quarter, the Giants finally managed a goal past Kaeley. However, Loretta quickly scored, recovering the Falcons’ three-point lead. Near the end of the quarter, Redwood nearly scored a decisive goal, but Kaelay kept them out of the goal once again, keeping the score at 4-1.

As the last quarter played out, Redwood used long passes and quick shots to gain two goals, slimming the Archie Williams lead down to 4-3. However, the Falcons managed to stay collected and close the deal.

 “We just kept our confidence up. The last thing you want to do is doubt yourself in those kinds of moments. So we just kind of all got together and we’re like, we can do this. We can do this. Let’s go,”  Loretta said.

After a desperate Redwood shot, the Falcons passed the ball around as the clock wound down. As the final horn sounded, head coach Matthew Swanson joined the rest of the Falcons, leaping into the air while pumping his fist in a wild victory celebration.

“The whole, whole team was awesome. We were a true team. Everyone embraced their roles and played their hearts out for each other,” Swanson said. “It was very rewarding to see all the hard work the girls put in, and to see it pay off. I couldn’t be more proud of them and what they accomplished.”

Loretta was very proud of her team’s performance. .

“We came in with a very strong attitude, and we ended it with a really strong attitude. And, I don’t know, I feel very good about this game, and we worked very well as a team”.The Falcons look forward to a short break before they enter the first round of the NCS Championships, facing off against Carondelet High School, the #10 team in the nation next Thursday at 4:00 pm. The winner will play Miramonte, the top-ranked in the country.