Boys’ water polo: Key loss stops CCS dreams

Despite finishing the season strong with a record of 10-2 in league and 21-5 overall, the boys’ water polo team fell one win short of qualifying for CCS.

At the Lynbrook Tournament on Nov. 5, the team managed 15-10 and 12-3 wins over Wilcox and Cupertino respectively. However, it was the 12-8 loss to Lynbrook at the end of the tournament that ultimately prevented the Falcons from reaching CCS.

According to senior driver Eric Wang, three ejection (fouls for being too aggressive) calls against senior two-meter defender Nicolas Doyen led to Doyen’s removal from the Lynbrook game.

“He is one of our primary two meter defenders, so without him we had to shift our defense around as for who was guarding who,” junior driver Parth Shah said. “He probably is the best in our league at his position, so it was vital for our team to have him in the pool playing.”

Despite not achieving its goal of making CCS, the team has had a solid season losing only twice at leagues against Lynbrook and Wilcox. This was also the boys’ first season under coach Courtney Crase, who seemed to guide the team well.

“She helped us become that tight-knit group and she created a really relaxed environment for us to grow and learn water polo and kept us motivated,” Wang said. “What’s also important is that we kept ourselves motivated and we wanted it.”

Wang attributes much of the team’s success this year to the team’s camaraderie.

“We were friends in and out of the pool, and that’s really important,” Wang said. “We kept supporting and pulling for each other.”

Looking back, Wang is proud of the team for more than just coming so close to CCS, which he thinks the team will make next year.

“What’s even more important in the big picture is how we brought more popularity and campus presence to water polo and helped people realize how sick the sport is,” Wang said. “We used to have empty stands, but they were always full this year, which is is something that I’m crazy proud of.”