On Thursday, Oct. 5, a large crowd gathered in their “blackout” attire to celebrate Redwood’s first “Game Night” of the school year, delivering support and motivation for the Redwood girls’ varsity water polo team as they took on the Archie Williams Falcons. However, the crowd’s confident and enthusiastic energy started to dwindle as the team struggled to score against a tough Falcons defense.
Facing Archie Williams for the third time this season, girls’ varsity water polo player Charlotte Philkill commented on the uplifting aspect of the crowd.
“I think it’s pretty motivating to have a lot of people out,” Philkill said.
The Giants went into this game with a 0-2 record against the Falcons this season. Expectations were not at their best, but hopes were high. However, after quick goals from the Falcons, Redwood struggled to find momentum.
Team captain and junior Giselle Orson scored the Giants’ first goal of the game in the first quarter. Despite her performance, Orson was disappointed by the outcome of the game.
“We really didn’t put out everything we could have,” Orson said.
Going into halftime, Archie Williams gained a 7-2 lead and ended up doubling their score, with the game ending 14-3. Senior Kate DeForrest added two goals to Orson’s first to give Redwood three goals overall; however, it proved to be insufficient to beat the Falcons.
“I thought we were going to be a little bit more equal to them than we were,” Phikill said.
Redwood entered this game with a 4-1 record in the Marin County Athletics League (MCAL), which landed them fourth in the ranking. As well as a 7-9 overall record which includes games against non-MCAL teams.
Philkill described the ambitions for this match, “At the beginning of this season, we were pretty close to [Archie Williams]. The final score was 7-2 last game, and we had thought we’ve obviously improved since then,” Philkill said.
Orson attributed their loss to unfocused practices.
“This week our practices have been unfocused,” Orson said. “Unfortunately, I just don’t think all of our heads were really in it.”
Orson also explained the proficiency of the other teams in the MCAL league, noting the strong competition from local schools.
“[Archie Williams] and [Marin Academy] are the two top teams in MCALs, we’re fourth. So you know, we were a little behind in skill,” Orson said.
Philkill reflected on the loss, describing the team’s struggles this season.
“We need to put our heads together because we have a lot of new people on the team,” Philkill said. “The whole team [is] kind of new, working together without our recently departed seniors.”
The Giants remain optimistic, with the team still being in a playoff spot and having four games left in the regular season. The girls’ water polo team will next battle Marin Catholic on Oct. 11 at home.
