As Celine Parel (11) eyed the cage for her next shot, goalie Julia Zajac (12) commanded the team’s defense in front of her, making calls and preparing for the next rush. As the ball came Parel’s way, she scored another point on the board in a 13-2 victory against Ramona High School, Dec. 11. The lopsided victory showcased the team’s offensive power and defensive strategy. 

Each player worked in unison to overwhelm Ramona’s defense, creating scoring opportunities from the commencing whistle to the final buzzer. Parel attributes their success to good communication.

“I thought that we were really on the same page a lot more than previous games,” Parel said. “We were talking a lot more and communicating more. Once we already had the momentum of scoring a lot, it boosted our performance more.”

Over the course of the first quarter, Parel scored two goals. Despite the opposing goalie denying the following two shots, the team did not falter in maintaining steady offensive pressure throughout the first half. 

Shortly after Ramona scored their first point, bringing the score to 2-1, Westview went on to score another two goals in quick succession.

After a timeout by Ramona, Zajac said she knew they had full control over the game. A penalty shot by Parel extended the lead to 5-1 while Westview’s defense remained relentless, blocking every shot that came at them. Goals by Mackenzie O’Mara (12) and Parel brought the score up to 8-1, while continued pressure on the opposing defense with near-constant shots left the Bulldogs under strain.

Zajac talked about her personal performance during the match, describing the importance of staying calm in high-pressure moments. When they had to play with a man down, she said she  took a deep breath or dipped her head underwater to calm down. Managing to stay calm helped the team make adjustments that improved their defensive performance, according to Zajac. 

“We found out who their main shooters were and made sure to shut them down,” Zajac said. “We knew we just shut down those two girls and then that’d be easy.”

By the third quarter, the Wolverines had built a lead of 10-1. Back-to-back goals throughout the last few minutes of the game brought the score up to 13-1 before Ramona managed their second and final goal of the game.

Zajac said the victory showcased the team’s improvements in communication and execution. “We understood what we had to improve on during practices,” Parel said. “We were able to improve on being more aware of those situations.”

Zajac emphasized the team’s smarter offensive play, noting that players were taking advantage of the brief windows of opportunity.

“Everything happens really quickly in water polo,” Zajac said. “A girl’s only open for a couple of seconds, and we were hitting those opportunities.”