Water Polo falls to Lahainaluna
Photo by Kainoa Deguilmo
Victoria Ngalu reaches to block a Luna on Saturday, April 2, at Pi’ilani Pool. Lahainaluna won and remained undefeated this season.
The Warriors water polo team fell to Lahainaluna 19-3 on Saturday, April 3 at Pi’ilani Aquatic Center. Lahainaluna remains undefeated.
“It was a really good team effort,” said Bradley Mason, head coach for Lahainaluna. “We worked out every player on the team, and we had a great defense and offense.”
Lahaina’s defense held the Warriors to just three points on the day.
“The defense played really well today,” Coach Mason said. “They played strong and had good steals, and those put us into positions to score.”
Coach Mason said that being undefeated gave them a lot of momentum going into this game against the Warriors.
“The girls are very confident,” Coach Mason said. “They are feeling the team vibe, and right now they are trusting everyone in their own abilities.”
Coach Mason said that confidence is everything when it comes to athletic performance.
“It’s huge,” Coach Mason said. “[Confidence] can make or break you, it can change your approach to the game.”
Lahainaluna’s Lalelei Mata’afa had a good game, scoring the majority of Lahaina’s goals.
“I’m just really excited,” she said. “It was definitely a team effort, and we’re just trying to get back to states.”
Mata’afa said that being undefeated was a big factor that fed into the team’s mentality coming into this game.
“Last year [Lahaina and Kamehameha] were tied for second place, behind Baldwin,” she said. “So that’s just motivating us to stay undefeated.”
Mata’afa said she was grateful for her teammates, who provided her with opportunities to score.
“I had a lot of chances to shoot because of them,” Mata’afa said. “I’m very blessed to have them.”
Coach Allyn Kalaiwaa reflected on the Warriors play.
“We had a lot of mistakes, and Lahaina capitalized,” Coach Kalaiwaa said.
Coach Kalaiwaa said the mindset of the team wasn’t strong.
“When you play a team as good as Lahainaluna, it’s easy to get scared,” Coach Kalaiwaa said. “We just need to get the energy up.”
