Saturday 3/30 – Andover: 8, Williston: 18
Girls Water Polo (0-1) opened its season against Williston last Saturday. With goals scored by Co-Captain Molly MacKinnon ’24, Co-Captain Mia Wonacott ’24, Addison Deng ’26, Emily Ryan ’25, and Ariana Zhao ’25, the team put up a promising performance against last year’s defending champion.
According to Mira Patodia ’26, leading up to the game, practice was centered around both drills and conditioning.
Patodia said, “We had some players who had never really played water polo before. We did a lot of drills and practicing before we started to get into some other water polo activities and scrimmages and stuff to prepare for the actual game. We had to do a lot of beginner stuff, just because the season started a week and a half ago, but so far, it’s been really good.”
Considering that many team members are new and practices only began approximately ten days ago, the team finds itself still struggling a bit with efficient communication in the pool. However, Patodia has high hopes that the team will steadily improve with time.
Patodia said, “It’s hard because you have to be more comfortable. It’s hard to communicate with each other… when you don’t have that connection in the pool as much yet, just because it’s been only a week and a half. So, I think with time, that stuff will get a lot better.”
Aimee Qi ’27 elaborated on the team’s potential and how sufficient practice has helped the team gain the strength and endurance to play rigorously.
“A crucial moment in the game was the first goal, which was pretty early in the first quarter. It really demonstrated how much we grew and proved that we had the ability to play against Williston,” said Qi.
Patodia also noted that the team has already grown incredibly close despite how little time has passed since the start of its practices. A close connection between teammates is crucial, as it has a heavy influence on the game.
Patodia said, “The whole team is really comfortable with each other, and that [is] also translated into the pool.”
Qi highlighted Wonacott’s performance, noting how she always puts her best foot forward and sets a strong example for the entirety of the team.
Qi said, “Mia stood out to me because of the effort she put in and how she would always be giving 100 percent by trying to get open or get the ball to someone else.”
On Saturday, Water Polo will play Deerfield and Greenwich Academy away.
