The American River College women’s water polo team had a decisive first win in its match with Modesto college. The final score was 13-2.  

Natasha Dykman, center, contributed to a major portion of the scoring. When Dykman threw the ball, it was with a spin that caused the Pirates’ goalie to flinch away.

“I like seeing the fear in the goalie’s eyes,” Dykman said. “It gives me an energy boost. That drives even more power for my shot.”

The team came with a clear plan of attack and a strong defense. Sophia Eiserman, the defender, was a strong part of the defense and showed a strong block.

The goalie for the team, Kathryn Watley, guided the team throughout the game. Watley performed as almost a quarterback would, announcing how much time was on the shot clock, the position of the players and where the ball should be thrown.

“I have a quarterback mentality,” Whatley said. “I played volleyball before this at Fresno State. It is important to help guide your team,”

The team’s defense was relentless. Several fans commented that the defense had improved from the prior week. 

“This is something we concentrated on during practice for the week,” Eiserman said.

Heather Moody, coach of the women’s water polo team, was encouraging the defense to play hard. 

“We did really well. We focused on our defensive positioning,” Moody said.“I would have liked for us to have finished more shots.”

Moody was yellow-carded in the third period. She was unhappy with the officiating and let it be known by yelling across the pool at the official. This was the second time Moody had an outburst with the officials. 

During breaks, Moody was putting drops in the athletes’ eyes.

“They put so much chlorine in the pool to fight COVID it makes our eyes burn,” attacker Alyssia Ullensvang said. 

ARC’s women’s polo team will host its next match on Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m. at ARC.