The Boys Water Polo team captured its first win of the season against Cupertino High School on Sept. 14 with a final score of 15-6, bringing its overall record to 1-2. The team started the game off strong, scoring its first goal within the first minute and kept its lead throughout the rest of the game. 

Coach George Montgomery shares that he felt confident entering the game, given MVHS’s win against CHS last year and the fact that CHS’s strongest player, a “solid leftie shooter,” wasn’t present at the game. His confidence was reinforced following the end of the first and second quarters with strong leads of 4-1 and 7-2 respectively.

During the third quarter, Montgomery subbed in more players, giving those who were usually benched an opportunity to gain some more experience in the pool. 

“They held down the fort pretty well,” Montgomery said. “They did a lot better than I think they expected themselves. We had guys that hadn’t scored goals before score goals today, so I was really happy to see that.”

Junior Kinton Duong believes the team was “adequately prepared” for the game. However, despite the win, Duong feels that it was “definitely not the best [he]’d played” and that the team still needs to improve its communication when passing the ball. 

“Something our team showed was that we had some depth,” Duong said. “[Our] game sense [could be better] — knowing when to execute plays that you learn to practice.”

Like Duong, Montgomery also noticed the team’s weak communication, specifically on offense, which is an aspect he hopes to improve before the team’s next game. 

“I’m happy, they played a good game,” Montgomery said. “I’m proud of my guys, they’ve been working hard and they deserve a win.”

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Melody Cui

Junior Ryan Tang practices blocking goals before the game starts. Photo by Melody Cui