On Sept. 20, Dougherty Valley men’s water polo team struggled against Castro Valley, losing 17-3.

After starting the season 0-6, the Wildcats were looking for a win against Castro Valley, who have a record of 4-2, to break their losing streak. Last week, DV lost their game against Granada 15-4. At halftime, the Wildcats had kept the game close at 4-4. Then, Granada pulled ahead in the second half, winning convincingly.

Against Castro Valley, Dougherty Valley won the tipoff to start the game. The Trojans scored the first goal of the game off of a pass towards the middle and a tap-in. They carried that momentum to score two more points in the quarter. The Wildcats struggled to find their footing offensively, but seemed to be hanging on in the defense. The first quarter ended with a score of 3-0.

In the second quarter, the Trojans continued their pressing offensive attacks, scoring four more goals. Despite solid defense, the Wildcats struggled to find fortune on offense. Hesitation on offense led  to backwards passes with little time left on the clock to score. The quarter ended 7-0. 

“We want to get better at taking more chances, taking more shots at the cage,” Wildcat head coach Cyndi Oji-Marchese said. 

The Trojans primarily capitalized on passes towards the front of the goal for simple tap-ins, with five of the seven goals coming from them. The other two goals came from long distance shots that flew past the goalie. The Wildcats, however, lacked opportunities for good shots on goal.  

The second half started off with more Trojan offense as they immediately scored 3 more goals. Immediately after, the Wildcats picked up in their offensive rhythm. The Wildcats scored their first goal off of a steal in front of the goal. Retaliating, the Trojans quickly scored another goal of their own. After Castro Valley scored another goal, the quarter came to an end 12-1.

“I like how our team stayed strong even when we were down,” sophomore Miles Cho said.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans started off with two goals. The Wildcats answered by scoring a goal of their own. After exchanging another set of goals, the Trojans scored the last two goals to end the game 17-3.

“What we’re really going to focus on next game is our defense. I love to run offense, but defense wins the game,” Oji-Marchese said.

The Wildcats will play their next home game Oct. 6 against Amador Valley.