Varsity Girls Water Polo lost 18-5 against Saratoga High School on Thursday, Sept. 8, in their first home game of the season. The first quarter ended with the score 3-2 in favor of SHS, and the first half finished 5-2. MVHS scored three goals in the second half but was unable to defend against SHS’s strong offense, ultimately losing the game 18-5.

Sophomore Evan Greene states the team is undergoing a nurturing period, as the team currently is composed of mainly sophomores and juniors. While Greene admits that the game showed they had much to work on, she also acknowledges some positive aspects of the game, saying the team “had a good defensive line and scored multiple shots.”

Sophomore Miya Sakurai echoes Greene’s sentiment, explaining that although this loss was tough, she sees it as an opportunity to improve. She specifically emphasizes the need for the team to enhance its passing plays and strategies for creating open opportunities on the field.

“Our team really struggled with setting up our offense and passing the ball,” Sakurai said. “It really made us hard pressed to pass and score.”

Junior Sonika Wagner highlights communication as another area of improvement for the team. Going forward, she believes that the team should work on improving its communication and teamwork in future practices. Despite the outcome of the game, Sakurai remains hopeful that the efforts of the team will come to fruition.

“Our team is definitely on the [inexperienced] side,” Sakurai said. “But we work really hard [during] practices to get better, and hopefully by the end of the season, we can have a smaller loss.”