Girls water polo defeated 9-7 by Woodside

On Oct. 1, the Aragon (6-4 overall) girls water polo team played Woodside (4-3 overall) in an exciting and tight away game ending in a 9-7 loss. Given that Woodside had been undefeated in the league, the team was facing a difficult fight.

“We’re at [Woodside’s] level,” said senior Charlotte Graham. “[But] it’s definitely going to be a close game and one of our tougher games this season.”

Moreover, Aragon had a slight disadvantage going into the match since they had several sick and injured players absent from their lineup.

Woodside has long been a major rival for the team, making this game an important match.

“[They are] one of the top teams,” said head coach Rachel Downall. “They were second in their league last year, and we were one behind them. So we’re looking to potentially…overtake [them].”

The match began steadily for Aragon, with the team gaining an early lead 3-2 by the end of the first quarter. However, near the end of the second quarter, Woodside scored two back-to-back goals to take the lead and set back Aragon’s previous progress.

Then, sophomore and co-captain Akira Snyder managed to score an impressive half-court shot seconds before the clock hit zero. This brightened the horizon for Aragon, and they entered the third quarter newly energized. The score was now tied, 4-4.

“[We] started to rely on each other more, which definitely benefited us,” Snyder said.

The third quarter was just as tense. Two separate shots from Woodside skimmed the post and a goal from Aragon was discounted by the referee.

Then, with three and a half minutes left on the clock, Woodside took advantage of a foul called on Aragon to make the score 5-4. A minute later, they followed up to further their lead over the Dons. Aragon was two points down with just over a minute left in the quarter. 

At that moment, junior Kira Partridge scored with 45 seconds left, cutting Woodside’s two point lead down to one. When the clock signaled the end of the third quarter, the score was 6-5, Woodside up.

“[W]e met a lot of … strong adversity from the other team,” said senior and co-captain Emerson Makuta. “They were very determined, and so are we. So it was a lot of back and forth.”

After the two-minute interval gave resting and planning time for the teams, the fourth and final quarter began.

Aragon’s late goal during the third quarter boosted their momentum going into the fourth quarter. Barely a minute in, Aragon scored again, tying up the score to 6-6.

Then, with five minutes left in the game, sophomore Amara Garcia shot and scored, taking back the lead for Aragon, 7-6. To defend their advantage, the team changed tactics and rallied to support their defense. 

Still, Woodside was relentless. After many saves by Aragon, they finally got one through with four minutes to go. The score was tied again at 7-7.

Additionally, Woodside now had the momentum. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, they found the net once more to pull ahead of Aragon, 8-7.

Aragon still had a chance with two minutes left on the clock. In formation, they moved up the field with the ball. Nevertheless, Woodside’s goalkeeper managed to save Aragon’s shot. In the last 15 seconds of the match, Woodside sealed the game with a final goal to make it 9-7. 

Still, the match was not a total loss for Aragon.

“I want the team to know that even though we lost, we learned more, and this was a step in the right direction,” Makuta said. “This was a huge improvement overall, and I am almost 100% sure we can beat them next time.”

Makuta herself had an impressive game, managing to score a hat-trick against Woodside.

Overall, the game was extremely tight, the result unclear until the last few seconds. 

“[I’m] very proud of the team. They’ve played really well today,” Downall said. “[We’re] looking to just continue the momentum that we had today…this season.”

As the team rolls into the second half of the season, they will have a chance for a rematch against Woodside. This time, Aragon will have the home-court advantage.

The team now looks ahead to Oct. 21 for their next match, a home game against Carlmont.