Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Girls Varsity Water Polo team played against Pasadena High School (PHS) on Jan. 12 at the AHS Aquatics Center. The Apaches won with a final score of 20-6, taking home another win in the league, now with a record of 3-0 in the Pacific League so far this season. 

A slightly cloudy afternoon, the first quarter of the game immediately began at 3:30 p.m. as the sound of the first buzz was heard. Both teams fought for possession of the ball, swimming fast and efficiently across the pool. The Apaches started off incredibly strong, as they were already leading with a score of 5-2 only 10 minutes into the game. 

The first quarter ended at about 3:43 p.m., as each team gathered together on opposite sides of the pool, taking a break as well as coming up with a strategy for the next quarter. The score was 6-2 so far, with Arcadia in the lead. 

As the first half of the game came to an end, both teams swam over to the other end of the pool as they switched sides. As of 4 p.m., the score was 12-2, still in favor of Arcadia. 

The third quarter officially started after the halftime break, and the Apaches instantly scored a goal. Minutes later, Pasadena was given a penalty throw because the Apaches had a defensive foul. As the throw was a success, the score became 13-3. Arcadia’s teamwork brought them impressive and smooth passes from one player to another, dodging their opponent’s attempts to defend. Pasadena came in strong with an effort to create a comeback, but the Apaches possessed sharp defensive skills.

The Apaches finished off the third quarter at around 4:15 p.m. with a score of 15-3. Beginning their fourth and final quarter of the game, Pasadena started powerful, as they stole the ball right before Arcadia was about to score. With three minutes left in the game, Arcadia switched up the lineup and did their last rotation of players, replacing the teammates who had been in the field long enough with benchwarmers to maximize the team’s performance. Both teams played competitively with the remaining time, making swift passes and trying to score at every chance they got. Arcadia scored a spectacular three goals in just five minutes, while Pasadena made another penalty throw and scored a goal as well. 

The game ended with a final score of 20-6 in favor of AHS. Overall, the Apaches did a great job in maintaining as well as advancing their score as the game went on. 

AHS team member junior Lana Menck, who managed to score multiple goals during the game, believes that field awareness is the most important skill that all team members should have in order to play well together. 

“We have to be able to not only understand our role at any point in the game, but also everyone else’s position, ultimately benefiting our plays,” said Menck. 

All in all, Girls Varsity Water Polo coach Janice Clark was very happy with the outcome of the game against PHS, though she felt that the offense of plays still needed a little work. 

“I am really happy with their man-up play,” stated Coach Clark. “That has been a weak point for us earlier this season; we’ve been working on it, and I’m seeing some nice improvement.” 

A huge congratulations to the AHS Girls Water Polo team for their terrific performance, and best of luck for the remainder of the season. Be sure to catch them in future games!

Photo by Katrina Reghitto