The girls water polo team defeated the Terra Nova Tigers by 13-4 in an exciting senior night on Thursday evening.
Freshman Harper Williams won the first sprint, allowing senior Abby Ko to score the first goal of the game with a penalty shot. The Bears’ attack continued, with sophomore Molly Gray scoring the second goal of the game, increasing the Bears’ lead to 2-0. After continuous offensive pressure combined with numerous saves by junior goalkeeper Lexi Nelson, the first quarter ended with the Bears on top 5-1.
At the start of the second period, Williams won the sprint once again, setting up Gray for another impressive goal. Williams scored as well, and the second period ended with a score of 8-0 as Nelson did not let in a single goal.
Junior Zoe Gostyla led the team from set during the third quarter. The Tigers stole the ball and started a fast break, and senior Kiki Lee deflected the Terra Nova shot into the goal. Tight defense by junior Emily Freitas and a save from Nelson blocked the Tigers from scoring in a show of excellent defense by the Bears. Terra Nova scored, and the Bears swiftly followed that with two more goals, including another by Ko. The third period ended with a score of 11-3.
As the sun set during the fourth period, an M-A parent led the crowd in energetic cheers. Sophomore Gabby Rothstein won the sprint, but the Tigers stole the ball once again. Coach Lauren Lesyna called a time out and substituted every player except for senior Yaritza Elizondo, who usually plays set. While the Tigers displayed an impressive spin move in two consecutive possessions, Nelson successfully blocked both. Lee scored the final goal of the game, making the final score 13-4.
“We’ve been working really hard, and this is our second round of league play,” Lesyna said. “Since we’d played them before, we could practice beating their team specifically and knew what some of their strategies are.”
The game was also senior night for the team. Before the game started, Lesyna gave each senior on the team flowers and thanked each senior for their contributions to the team.
“Senior night is always really special because it’s the seniors’ last league home game, so it’s very much the end of a lot of hard work for those girls,” Lesyna said. “This particular senior class is just really funny. All three of them bring positive attitudes.”
Junior Izzy Zohar echoed this sentiment: “The seniors this year bring so much joy and fun to the team, and senior night is just a great opportunity to celebrate how amazing they are,” she said.
“The game was really thrilling. I’m glad I was able to end my high school career on a high note,” Ko said. Even though the season’s not over, this was a really big night for me. This team has been a great safe space for me throughout high school.”
The Bears will return to the pool on Tuesday at 5 p.m. to the play the Woodside Wildcats.
