Carlmont varsity girls water polo won 12-7 in the first scrimmage of the 2021 season in a dominating performance against Hillsdale.
As the game started, Carlmont scored a goal in the first few seconds of the game. The crowd erupted as the Scots hit their stride.
The Scots used this momentum to maintain their lead for the rest of the game.
After the first goal, the Scots continued to score and went up 6-2 early on. Carlmont settled into this four-point differential, and soon they began to look unstoppable.
The rest of the game was filled with back and forth play. Occasionally, Hillsdale would have solid stretches of gameplay and begin to encroach on the Scots. However, Carlmont would continue to battle back and maintain their lead.
As the clock ticked down to the final minutes, it became clear that Hillsdale would not catch up to the Scots. The crowd exploded in joy as Carlmont won the season’s first scrimmage as the final whistle blew.
“We did really well,” said Maile Firenze, a junior and varsity player. “Obviously, we can still improve and grow because it is our first scrimmage of the season.”
Although the Scots did dominate for all of the game, the Knights put up a fight. They continued to play aggressively and had many powerful moments.
There were times when Hillsdale was closing the gap, but the lack of momentum and destructive game plan kept them from controlling the game.
“The focus [going into the game] was to shoot the ball as many times as we can and try to stay as active as we can,” said Molly McNinch, the girls varsity coach.
There is always room for improvement, but Carlmont will start from a solid place. The main hope is to fix the small errors and come out even more robust.
“Going into the next game, we’re going to work on better setups and getting as many scores as we can get,” McNinch said.
However, few games are as important as the first one. It sets the pace for the rest of the season.
This game is also crucial because students are returning from an abnormal year in sports. It hasn’t been easy to get back into a rhythm while playing a team sport, and the first step on the road to an effective team is unification.
“Before, we were kind of separated,” said Nefeli Tsangaropoulos, a senior goalie. “This game really brought us together.”
