The boys water polo team conquered the Carlmont Scots, 19-8, in their game on Tuesday afternoon.
M-A wasted no time setting the tempo as junior attacker Navid Riahi struck first with two goals. Following him up just moments later, senior attacker Evan ten Vaanholt added another goal, putting the Bears up 3-0 with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
Carlmont responded with a goal of their own to get on the board, but the Bears didn’t let up. Great passing and quick ball movement allowed Riahi to land another point, scoring his third of the quarter. Despite the Scots managing to sneak in a second goal, senior driver Jack Bullard was able to close out the period with one himself, giving M-A a 5-2 lead after the first quarter.
“At the start, we were kind of sleeping, but we figured it out and were able to get our subs in,” junior Ryan Junkin-Pisani said.
The Bears kept their momentum going into the second quarter. Ten Vaanholt opened with a win on the sprint and immediately followed it with a backhand shot that slipped past the Carlmont goalkeeper. On defense, junior goalkeeper Michael Poirier stood tall in the cage, recording two back-to-back saves to maintain M-A’s lead.
Midway through the quarter, senior attacker Bryce Winters stole possession and converted the fast break into a goal, extending M-A’s lead to 8-2. Carlmont managed to score once more, but the Bears continued to dominate both sides of the ball.
With under a minute remaining, junior utility Zane Nahas fired a powerful shot into the net, putting the Bears up 11-3 and sending them into halftime with a comfortable lead.
Kicking off the second half, M-A kept their foot on the gas. Bullard anchored the defense with multiple saves, while the rest of the team kept the pressure on the Scots offense. The Bears capitalized on Carlmont turnovers, scoring three unanswered goals to extend their lead to 14-4 with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Carlmont fought to regain footing and managed to rack up two more points, but the Bears maintained control, heading into the final quarter with a 15-5 advantage.
Both teams came out firing in the fourth. Junior attacker Spencer Harding scored early, though Carlmont quickly responded with a goal of their own. Bullard continued to impress defensively, making three key saves in a row to stifle the Scots’ comeback hopes. M-A closed out the match in strong fashion, with additional goals pushing the final score to 19-8.
“We did really well because we had each other, and we were on point,” junior Michael Poirier said.
“Coming into the game, we were confident, but we always come in humble,” said Junkin-Pisani.
The Bears will face off against the Serra Padres away this Friday at 4 p.m.
