Athletics

By Luca Leone ‘27 in Fall 2024

The Men’s Varsity Water Polo team has had a strong season so far with an overall 13-5 record, 5-2 league games record, and is fourth in Marin County League.The team started with a 3-4 overall record, but after a 12-goal to 6-goal victory against San Marin, the Wildcats went on a commanding seven game win streak. After a tough loss to Terra Linda on the seventh of October, they then went on a three-game winning streak which continued after an 11-8 victory versus Novato on the seventeenth of October. I had the chance to watch the game versus Novato and it was quite an exciting match. MA controlled the flow of the game for the majority of the match. Things got closer toward the end, but San Marin’s hopes were quickly silenced by a late goal from MA senior Matthieu Giaque. Giaque is one of the leading scorers and is a core piece of the team's offense. Sophomore player Justin Tatchiki commented on his experience of the game stating, “I think our key to success was ball movement and getting the whole team involved. It really takes everyone to get a win against a solid opponent like Novato.” When asked if he believed the team played to their fullest potential, Tatchiki answered, “I definitely wouldn’t say we played to the best of our abilities, and overall there was room for defensive communication, and personally I had opportunities that I didn’t capitalize on.” Additionally, when asked in what ways the team can prepare for the playoffs Tatchiki replied, “In close games, we kind of dropped the ball a little bit. In the postseason, there are going to be a lot of close games, and I think in late games we are playing to not lose instead of playing to win.” Despite some areas of improvement that are needed, Tatchiki has high hopes for the playoffs and is confident in his team’s capabilities. Despite not being an avid water polo fan, stopping by the game was an incredibly fun experience, and was a great way to engage with the MA sports community. I highly suggest coming out to show some support, and I will definitely be in attendance for future games.