The Carlmont Scots girls varsity water polo team fell short in a hard-fought, 10-3 loss to the Woodside Wildcats on Oct. 12. The Wildcats controlled most of the game, dropping the Scots’ record to 1-7.
The Wildcats were a formidable team, coming into the game 4-2, while the Scots were reeling from a brutal blowout by the Menlo-Atherton Bears almost a week prior.
Even though the Scots lost, coach Molly McNinch still believed the team had vastly improved from their performance in the previous game.
“We had a lot better mindset going into this game, and we were more prepared for the team that we were up against. We played outstanding defense, so that was really good too,” McNinch said.
Carlmont junior Noe Foehr reiterated the Scots’ improvement in this game.
“Our communication was a lot better, and we were working together more cohesively,” Foehr said.
Woodside quickly leaped out to a 6-0 lead by halftime, but two goals from senior Jessica Conley in the third quarter inched the Scots closer to a possible comeback. However, four straight Wildcats goals soon followed, which brought the match out of striking distance. Conley scored the final Scots goal late in the fourth quarter, giving her a hat trick in the game and resulting in a final score of 10-3.
In the third quarter, the Scots showed resiliency by holding the Wildcats to one goal while scoring two, which was the shining moment in an otherwise dominant Wildcats victory.
“In the third quarter, we honestly just realized that we needed to get points up, and once we did, that gave us more confidence,” senior Nefeli Tsangaropoulos said.
The Scots were also short-handed coming into the game, with only eight field players available to play. Goalie Sydney Phan, a senior, substituted as a field player midway through the game. Six field players and one goalie play for each team, meaning that the Scots only had two substitutes until Phan’s switch.
Junior Maile Firenze believed the team played well, considering the lack of players available for the game.
“We had a few players who are currently injured, so the fact that we were already down, we played really well. We were not being completely outswam, and we were getting shots on goal, which is awesome,” Firenze said.
This game proved to be a morale booster for the Scots, even in a defeat. However, the team still has some adjustments to make ahead of their next game against the Notre Dame Tigers on Thursday, Oct. 14.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re setting up the correct offense so that we can get more goals in, so that way we can win,” McNinch said.
