Paly Girls Waterpolo Season Recap

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Hillary Studdert and Josie Vogel

The Paly girls water polo team have wrapped up another success-filled season with their final game being in the CCS semi-finals. With the final loss to Lehigh, the team was knocked out of the tournament, placing an overall third in CCS Division 1. Lehigh went on to win the entire tournament. 

The team finished with an overall record of 11-13 which includes league and tournament games. With the season spanning from August to November, the team has worked hard through setbacks and developed significantly. 

This season brought several moments to celebrate, highlighted by their win against 

Castilleja School for the first time in 13 years.  The Girls were down 1-3 in the first quarter, but persevered and did not let the score affect their performance. Making history for the paly program the girls won 6-4 against Casti. 

“They’ve historically been a very strong team, qualifying for open division the last few years,” said senior Paige Henry. “Never in program history have we beat them before, so this was a very rewarding game.”

Another great moment in the season was a buzzer beater win against Los Altos in double overtime. Both teams were battling closely throughout the game, but Paly emerged victorious with a strong shot by junior Grace Gormley in the final seconds. 

Fans showed up to senior night against Los Gatos bringing support and enthusiasm into the atmosphere. For the duration of the game, both teams fought relentlessly however the Wildcats pulled away in the last quarter, defeating the Vikings 7-4. They improved tremendously since the last time they played Los Gatos because they were able to figure out their offensive plays. Even without getting a winning result, the vikings were able to keep their communication and spirits high. 

“It was kind of a surreal moment. I was waiting for the clock to run down to the final second and I fired it away. It was super satisfying to see if hit the back of the net after that really tough, long game,” Gormley said. 

With great moments like these, the team can be proud of the accomplishments and challenges that were overcome this season.