Girls’ water polo start leagues undefeated

With the score tied at 6-6 and the shot-clock under 5 seconds in a game against Monta Vista on Sept. 22, senior Kailyn Kroeber swung the ball into the net, winning the game by one goal and bringing the girls’ league record to 6-0.

After failing to qualify for CCS last year, the team has been working hard in the lower El Camino League to pile up victories. Perhaps making the task tougher, the Falcons have six new players and a new coach named Jerome Chung.

Players say they are happy to see the improvement in their record, surpassing the two league victories they had last year.

On Sept. 10 and 11, the girls participated in the Santa Clara tournament, winning three out of four games, losing to Saint Ignatius and placing fifth.

In their first league game against Homestead on Sept. 6, the girls prevailed 6-4. They continued with a 5-2 win against Wilcox on Sept. 8.

Senior field players Sophie Sellers, Kanika Vora and Kailyn Kroeber have been the leading scorers, with most of their shots coming from perimeter passes.

“Our team has come so far since last season,” Vora said. “We have grown to be really close and our chemistry translates to our success in the pool which shows in our record.”

Although they lost their first preseason game on Aug. 25 against Half Moon Bay 6-3, the girls quickly figured out what they had to improve on and won their second preseason game against Mercy 6-4.

“The team is all really bonded, so that’s a major factor to our success,”  freshman field player Thaila Morganstern said. “Everyone knows their place in the game, and they know where they have to be. We’ve been working on a lot of defense, so with great defense comes great offense as well.”

Chung has been telling the girls that they have the potential to win CCS this year and move up a division at the end of the season.

“Our coach is definitely pushing us to be the best that we can,” Morganstern said. “With more hard work and team communication, I think we have a high chance of making it to CCS this year.”