Girls’ water polo (1-8) lost 2-3 against Irvine High on Jan. 27 at the pool. Despite maintaining a tie throughout the first half, the Bulldogs slightly lost their edge during the last quarter due to a change in strategy. Their season officially ended following their game against Irvine High.

The game began with a goal by the Vaqueros. This pushed the Bulldogs to pursue a primarily defensive strategy throughout the quarter. As the game progressed, anticipating a strong offensive line from the Vaqueros, the Bulldogs switched to a more offensive strategy.

“One of the things we have been tweaking is what defensive strategy we were going to run at the time,” head girls’ water polo coach Kate Avery said. “This game was also the game when we said we also need to push our offense as well, and that just flipped a switch.”

As the second quarter advanced, utility player and senior Charlotte Hsu scored a goal within the first two minutes by running up the pool. However, shortly after the Vaqueros scored their second goal by pushing through the Bulldogs’ defense, throwing the tie off balance.

“I think we could have had a little more drive, more determination to move up and score more,” Hsu said. “It was a low scoring game because we were pretty evenly matched that day, and both teams had really solid defense, so it was just hard to score on each other.”

The second quarter ended in a tie 2-2, with Hsu getting the second goal for the Bulldogs. The tie was maintained throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth with all attempts at goals deflected by the goalies.

In the remaining minutes, the Vaqueros scored their final goal, securing their victory.

Despite the season coming to a close, the Bulldogs hope to continue training in anticipation for next year, hopefully with a larger team. During the rest of the year, players will continue to build their team spirit and work harder to accomplish their goals together, according to Hsu.

“I’m just really proud of all the girls and all the hard work they put in this season,” goalie and senior Stella Jung said. “I love them a lot and it’s the closest team I’ve ever been a part of, so I’m honestly really grateful for them.”