The Castro Valley Trojans’ men’s water polo defeated theWildcats on Sept. 10 in a close fight.

The first quarter began with a roar from the stands as both teams swam to the ball. Within the first few minutes of the game, Dougherty’s offense was strong as senior Wildcat Alexander Burr scored the first goal of the game. But they soon lost the lead as the Trojans pulled through with two goals, ending the first quarter at 2-1.

The second quarter excited the audience as both teams were neck to neck. While #11 from Castro Valley managed to score, senior Wildcat Noah Richard also swooped the ball into the net, making it 3-2. Throughout the quarter, both teams made sure to stay within range of the other. As the quarter progressed, the game started to grow hostile as both teams began to aggressively grab and push for the ball.

The second half saw similar patterns with the scoring. The aggressiveness didn’t falter throughout the second half as multiple players from Dougherty were pulled from the game due to excessive penalties. The Trojans remarkable and quite powerful defense during the third and fourth quarter kept them in the lead as the Wildcats tried to score. While some of the more promising players were pulled out, the Wildcats pushed through to the end for a devastating defeat.

“I’d say it was a very hostile environment and everyone was getting mad at each other, but as a team we were all just coming together to try and win the game,” Richard comments.

Although the Wildcats did not win, it didn’t hinder their spirits and hopes for the season.

“It was a tough game. It got pretty heated in there, but overall [we] tried our hardest and gave what we could,” Burr states.

The Wildcats will next take on the Foothill Falcons on Sept. 26.