Upper league opponents have made for tough season for girls’ water polo

As a new season unfolds, the girls’ water polo team is still try to come together as rebuilding team.

With new coach Courtney Crase and five new players, the girls have been trying to build a stronger defense and shooting more offensively. As of Oct. 9, the girls are 1-6 in the upper De Anza league.

The Falcons battled against Mountain View on Oct 8. and lost 9-2. Falling behind early, the team struggled to catch up, said junior driver Jessy Liu. Toward the end, the girls were able to shut down Mountain View’s offense.

On Oct 6. the girls celebrated their first win of the season against Lynbrook 4-3 in overtime.

Knowing that Lynbrook was a more even match compared to their other opponents and receiving support from friends who came to the home game, the Falcons were determined to win, said Liu.

With an effective defense and clear communication throughout the game, the girls were able to hold Lynbrook back. Senior Jace Welton and junior Sophie Sellers were the star players for the game, scoring a goal each. Kailyn Kober scored the overtime goal that led to the win.

“Not only as individuals, but the team worked together a lot better on defense,” Liu said. “Even though it was a tight game and we went to overtime, everyone was able to throw away their nerves and win the game.”

The Falcons lost 9-2 on Oct. 1 in an away game at Los Altos, but this loss helped give the girls a sense of what they needed to work on;it also contributed to their victory against Lynbrook. Following their loss against Los Altos, the Falcons played a better game against Palo Alto on Sept. 29, but they still lost 11-5.

“We have been fighting hard and putting in a lot of work to improve,” said senior driver Jace Welton. “We have an amazing team dynamic — we’re a support system for each other.”

The Falcons played against Gunn on Sept. 22, losing 14-1. The girls knew that Gunn was one of the better teams in league and were expecting a tough game.

“Gunn anticipated the shots well, and even though we lost, we tried our best and worked together to try to shut them down,” Liu said.

As the season progresses, the Falcons are working to  both strengthen their offense and shooting. In spite of the losses, the team is using them as a learning experience to find out what they need to change and improve.

“We put in the work together and encourage each other. We all love playing together no matter what,”  Welton said.