On Wednesday, October 8, Irvington Girls’ Varsity Water Polo faced off against American High School, ending in a close defeat of 6-7.

The team showed up with great spirit and showed perseverance and determination to the very end, managing to gain back lost points in the fourth quarter and shorten the point gap. Although it ended in a loss for the team, Head Coach Nathan Laus remained positive, mentioning, “I think they did a great job. We just came back a little too late. The mistakes were made too early, and that’s something you just have to recover in during the game. It’s just kind of making that switch.”

Captain Alison Young (12) reflects on the game, saying, “We were just a little impatient. We are trying to go to NCS, and to do that, we need to get some more wins on our record. So we’re really desperate to get those goals. We really want to run up the score, but I think it caused us to play a little less smart and slow down.” Even with these challenges and the disappointment of losing, team member Ayla Jivraj-Cross (10) remains determined: “It just means that we have got to practice harder and win future games.” 

When asked about areas of improvement, Coach Nathan emphasizes, “We’re going to work on shooting more on the wings, which is the side of the goals…it was an open shot most of the time and we can take advantage of that.” This loss is just one of many steps to victory that water polo has taught Jivraj-Cross. She states, “If you stick to something and try your hardest, you can actually succeed.”

Looking back, the game was both engaging to watch as to play as team member Alya Jivraj-Cross commented, “My favorite part of the game was when number six, Alison Young, went for the ball, against the goalie and scored.” 

This game might have ended in a loss for Irvington, but the team looks towards the future with hope and determination since it’s not the end as Coach Nathan says, “There’s still a lot left of the season, a lot of games left, and we can try to make NCS this year.”