Boys’ Water Polo: Senior goalie gets concussion, out for season

It didn’t take long for the Falcons to face a major obstacle:  Starting goalie senior Nick Bray sustained a concussion after experiencing three impacts to the head during the team’s first preseason game against Half Moon Bay on Aug. 23 and is out for the season.

As a result, junior Nima Aminzadeh has stepped up to fill Bray’s position, even though he normally plays field.

So far, Aminzadeh has been adjusting well to the changes.

“Staying in the game the whole time and being hit in the face is difficult, but I really enjoy playing goalie,” Aminzadeh said.

According to coach Jacob Young, one of the biggest hurdles of playing goalie is getting “the courage to want to be hit by the ball.”

Since the goalie is the last line of defense, the team depends on the goalie for leadership and moral support, Young said.

“Aminzadeh has much to learn, but I am impressed by his sacrifice to the team and his progress,” Young said.

With the loss of Bray, the team is overall “trying to find [its] strengths and weaknesses so far,” junior captain Grant Chen said, and is adjusting to new talent and compensating for any changes.

The team has been working on communicating and playing together as a unit. Chen said he expects to have a “pretty decent season.”

On Sept. 18, the Falcons won 15-10 against Milpitas and on Sept. 20 won 10-7 against Fremont, bringing their league record to 2-4.

Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon was unable to cover the games against Cupertino and Wilcox on Sept. 25 and 27.