Despite gaining the initial lead just seconds after the starting whistle, boys varsity water polo fell 16-7 to the Menlo-Atherton Bears on Sept. 14, experiencing their first loss of the season.
The Scots were able to hold off their Menlo-Atherton opponents for the first two minutes after senior Daniel Zorb scored the first goal of the match. However, they struggled to regain their initial momentum as Menlo-Atherton scored seven consecutive goals.
“We stood still instead of driving in and out or driving across the pool. We just need to work on our conditioning and execute our plays more,” said senior Devon Paragas.
The Scots charged out of their first quarter timeout with new energy. Their rally began with goalkeeper River Manochio launching the ball across the pool and earning a 5-meter penalty shot for the team.
Paragas recalls his teammates’ source of motivation: “We push each other in the water to fight and play harder and to always improve.”
Despite the blockage of the penalty shot by the Menlo-Atherton goalkeeper, Carlmont remained persistent. Scots senior David Vondran fired the ball into the back of the opposing net to finish off a rebound taken up the field, with Zorb’s next goal following right behind.
Paired with a diving block from Manochio and a goal by senior Enzo Llorach, the Scots shrunk the Bears’ lead little by little, ending the first half with Carlmont trailing 10-5.
“Our team is almost all seniors and we’re all motivated to work hard because these are our last games and last season of our high school career,” said senior Kurt Castro.
Carlmont continued to retaliate, rallying through several more setbacks. Vondran scored in direct response to a goal by Menlo-Atherton, followed by a spike from senior Hunter Manter for another point.
“I think we communicated well, especially in the second half. They outswam us a little, but we didn’t let that stop us and we came back a bit in the second half,” said Paragas.
Carlmont trailed 11-7, the team’s smallest point gap since the beginning of the match, but the Menlo-Atherton Bears soon picked up steam.
Menlo-Atherton scored four more consecutive goals, ending the third quarter 15-7.
Carlmont was able to hold their opponent to only one goal in the fourth quarter, however, the Scots were not able to score either, resulting in their first defeat of the season.
Despite this loss, Castro reflects on the potential of the season ahead: “I think we have a very good chance of making CCS and finishing high in PALs, so I think we have a good season in front of us.”
