Carlmont varsity water polo lost at home against the Woodside Wildcats 12-3 in a league game.
A rough start awaited the Scots immediately as the game began. Woodside piled on seven consecutive goals, and the Wildcats furthered their lead over Carlmont.
As the game continued, Woodside’s defense held firm, keeping Carlmont scoreless until the third quarter. Carlmont sophomore Brendan Zelnis and junior Dylan Lobo scored two quick goals, bringing the score to 8-2, but the Wildcats had already solidified their lead.
“Woodside is number two in our league,” said Gifford Calenda, the head coach at Carlmont. “I give our handicap at about 10 [points]. That’s an indication of how good they are.
The Wildcats are currently second in the Peninsula Bay League standings trailing only the Menlo-Atherton Bears. Despite coming up with a game plan to counter the Wildcat’s defense, Carlmont could not threaten Woodside offensively.
“We knew they play a defense with more zone coverage and less man,” said Brendan Zelnis, a sophomore at Carlmont. “Our strategy was to spread out a little more to get more outside shots.”
Regardless of the open looks, Carlmont had difficulty shooting effectively. The Wildcats kept the game out of reach until the final buzzer, ending with a 12-3 victory over the Scots.
“I feel like we could improve very much,” said Dylan Lobo, a junior at Carlmont. “Compared to our last game against Burlingame, we had all our stuff together, so if we continued that effort, I feel like we could have had a chance against Woodside.”
The game was undoubtedly tough physically and mentally on the Scots. However, the team acknowledged collective mistakes they needed to eliminate, and individual players learned what they needed to work on.
“One mistake I made was letting my man open the fast break. He was very fast and was able to get open really well,” Lobo said.
With this loss, Carlmont remains towards the bottom of the Peninsula Bay League standings. A win is necessary for their upcoming game against Aragon to make a push towards the top four. Although suffering a significant loss, players are glad that they maintained a closer score than their previous contest against Woodside.
“Last time, we’ve lost by a lot more, so this time we’ve kept it down and played much better defense,” Zelnis said.
The biggest takeaway for Carlmont players is knowing that they need to remain resilient and not get down when faced with adversity. The team understands that it has struggles, but it endeavors to overcome them.
“It really sucks and brings down team spirits, but after every goal, I feel like I could push through with it,” Lobo said. “Try to fight [through] each quarter one-by-one.”
