by Niko Panagopoulos| Staff Writer|[email protected]
Sept. 30, 2019
After an extremely competitive water polo match Sept. 18 against the Fresno City Rams, the City College Panthers came up short 8-6.
“Well, we came out on the wrong side of the final score, but I think we played well,” said Panthers head coach Steve Hanson. “Our defense was really solid.”
Hanson pointed to the team’s new goalie, Martha Schrader, as an example of one player who performed well in the match. “She never really played in the goal before. She had a really great game. We’re transitioning from a forward player to a goalie,” he said.
“Because every goal that goes by, you feel like you’re the last line (of defense). And you are the last line, but that also points out that there’s lines ahead of you that haven’t done their job necessarily before it gets to you.”
But, he added, “We’re at the tip of the iceberg [with] learning the position. So yeah, I give kudos to [Schrader] because I think she did well.”
“I think it was just overall… a great team effort. But honestly, our defense was solid,” said Hanson.
The Panthers next took on the Beavers at ARC on Wednesday, Sept. 25, where they lost 15-0.
“You know, this is a pretty young team,” Hanson said after the team’s first loss. “We haven’t played together a lot. It’s only our fifth game of the season.”
The team plays Diablo Valley College Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Hoos Pool at City College.