Boys water polo takes a solid win

On Sept. 14, the Samo varsity team faced off against Hoover High School and came away with a decisive win at 12-7.Both teams attempted to take full advantage of being on offense, but Samo’s tighter defense gave them a serious head start throughout the first three quarters. In the third quarter, Samo’s team kicked up their game a notch. Each side raced across the pool in pursuit of the other, but more often than not, Samo succeeded. With multiple goals from captain Sawyer Koetters (’19), Sebastian Zapatero (’19), and Quinlan Plukas (’19), the team had, short of a miracle, secured their win.Zapatero, who scored the most goals for Samo, emphasized the importance of one main quality during a game.“I think teamwork is the most important thing. You have to be able to sacrifice for your team, you can’t just be thinking about yourself,” Zapatero said.A miracle did not come for Hoover, but their performance did improve. It wasn’t enough to shake Samo or to prevent goalie Aaron Akhavan (’20) from blocking most of their shots. Sawyer and Zapatero carried the team through the last quarter and Samo came away victorious in their second game of the season.Coach Matthew Flanders has been preparing the team for the season since Aug. 17.“I thought it was a great improvement from their game v Palisades. The defense was much more solid, we executed well,” Flanders said. Their next game is at home, against Chadwick High School on Sept. 20.