77 days. That’s how long we have until we compete for a national championship here at Stanford. The day is getting closer and closer and we are getting more and more excited.
This past weekend was a very good learning experience for our team. We traveled to Irvine for the UCI Invite and finished in second place after losing to UCLA 7-6 in the final game. It was our second meeting with UCLA this season, and it snapped a 27-game winning streak that we had going since last season. It was long and hard-fought game and we traded goals for the majority of it, but eventually fell in overtime.
The exciting thing we took away from that game is the amount of room that we have for improvement. UCLA, along with Cal earlier in the day, exposed our weaknesses and areas we need to focus on. Knowing that we have the potential to be better is something our team gets excited about.
Our semifinal game against Cal got off to a slow start. We went down 2-0 and trailed 4-2 at halftime. Both our defense and offense were frantic and scattered, leading to many mistakes and turnovers. Our third quarter defined the win for us, as we came out firing changing a 4-2 deficit to a 5-4 lead. We got three goals one after another because we calmed down and started to play as a unit.
We were able to finish that game strong and advanced to the finals with a 7-6 win. Unfortunately, we saw a different outcome than we would have liked in the championship.
We started off well and stayed even with UCLA for the whole game, but we did not play with the heart of a championship team. The excitement and championship vibe seemed to be missing from the game, which is very uncharacteristic of our team and probably part of the reason we lost. There are obviously mechanics and essential parts of offense and defense that need a lot of work, but the biggest thing on everyone’s mind leaving the weekend is teamwork.
Teamwork is something that we always stress, as our team is comprised of various versatile individuals with skill sets that work so well with one another. When we put our individual skills together is when we are most successful.
Recognizing that we are all working towards a goal together as a team rather than just a group of individuals is something we cannot lose sight of moving forward. Water polo is a game that allows you to get frustrated easily, especially with aspects of the game that are out of your control. One thing that you can always control is whether or not you respond to these adversities as a team.
One thing we really stress is not using adversity as an excuse. We do not blame the outcome of the game on things out of our control. We focus on whether or not we fought as one unit. There are seven people in the pool at once and eighteen of us working together as a whole. Each of these eighteen people has a role to fulfill that is necessary for our success.
The most important thing we have to remember moving forward is that we are eighteen people who work together every day and push each other to be better, and that needs to be reflected in how we play and respond to difficult situations.
Contact Jamie Neushul at jneushul ‘at’ stanford.edu.