By working cohesively as a team, girls water polo crushed Del Norte 10-5, Jan. 10. However, this win did not come easy. In preparation, the girls dedicated themselves to strengthening skills that would help them perform their best. 

According to utility player Celine Parel (10), a strong defense was the key to winning the game. The team aimed to limit the number of times that the Nighthawks could score by moving around synchronously to stack up defenders around the goal. They also focused on analyzing the opposing players’ body language.

“We knew who their stronger players were,” Parel said. “I focused on being able to read the players and anticipate what the other team was going to do.” 

Westview started off strong by scoring three consecutive goals within the primary half of the first quarter.

 Then, Del Norte scored a point near the end of the first quarter, bringing the score to 3-1.

Westviews goal was to stay ahead of Del Norte for the entirety of the game. In order to do this they had to switch up their usual gameplay.

“[In the past,] games against Del Norte were typically pretty close, so we’ve actually been working on two different new plays for after goals,” center Ellie Kolle (12) said. 

According to Parel, these new plays worked extremely well in the game. After a goal was scored by Del Norte, Westview goalie Julia Zajac (11) got a hold of the ball and threw it to an open player on the other side of the pool near Del Norte’s goal. Then, that player threw a hard-driven ball straight into the net. 

Parel said that this approach made it easy to score because their opponents would still be near Westview’s goal and away from their own cage, leaving their goalie as the sole defender.

Another new offensive strategy was utilized by the team, one where each player was assigned a new drive. The new drives were positioned strategically, so that it would spread out the players. 

Kolle said that this play is different because everyone must drive, as opposed to the typical play where one person drives and everybody else shifts to fill in the other places. 

Once in their designated area, they opened up to receive the ball, and the ball continued to get passed further and further up the pool, and eventually within an accurate throwing range of the cage. Finally, the person with the best angle to score took their shot. 

Parel demonstrated this play towards the end of the second quarter. After putting herself in a good position to score, she received the ball, and launched the ball past Del Norte’s goalie and into the net. 

“[This play] takes a lot of effort and timing to get it right,” Kolle said. “There were many people involved in this play, so the team had been practicing many days prior to the game.” 

The goal increased Westview’s lead to 7-2 by the beginning of the third quarter.

“I think what really helped us is that we were on the same page and we were able to communicate well,” Parel said. 

While on the offensive, the team was able to communicate as they advanced altogether. 

As they were in close proximity to each other, players could call out the names of teammates in order to get their attention. 

By executing their practiced plans, the team  pulled through with a win. 

“I’m proud of our team and how far we’ve come since our first game,” Kolle said. “I feel like our dedication and hard work shows through our plays and overall cohesiveness we have with each other.”