The Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys water polo team celebrated its seniors on Oct. 16, 2025, while facing off against Malibu High School (Malibu) at the Ventura Aquatic Center. Unfortunately, the match-up would prove to be a challenge for Foothill Tech. With a final score of 2-13, they expanded upon their four-game streak of losses for the season.

The first quarter provided Malibu with an early advantage over the Dragons, with the first points of the game being scored by the Sharks in the latter half of the quarter. The Dragons’ goal-keeper, Vaughn Thompson ’27, and much of the Foothill Tech defense struggled to respond to their opponents’ aggressive playstyle.

The quarter would conclude with a score of 0-4 in favor of Malibu, foreshadowing the dominance they would have on the game in later possessions.

“I knew it was going to be a hard game because we had an earlier rough loss to them in the season … It’s a lot of tension, but even when we’re screaming at each other, there is a layer of joy and fun,” senior Elijah Spencer said.

Moving into the second quarter, Foothill Tech seized the first possession but would, in turn, encounter resistance from the Sharks, making it difficult to string together plays. Foothill Tech’s Kylan Jaeger ‘26 would see an opening to Spencer in the middle of the quarter to get off an impressive shot on goal; however, the Dragons couldn’t connect anything to the back of the net.

Malibu, on the other hand, continued to find more success offensively. Expanding upon their lead in the quarter to end up 8-0 over the Dragons whilst going into the second half of play.

The third quarter saw Malibu assert itself further, connecting four consecutive shots early in the quarter to advance its lead to 12-0. However, after a scoreless first half, the Dragons were able to secure their first point for the team to bring the score to 1-12, closing out the quarter.

Resetting the clock for a final time, the fourth quarter had Foothill improve its defensive efforts against Malibu to close the growing gap in score. In the midst of an offensive scramble, Dean Liddell ’27 tipped in the Dragons’ second goal of the game to bring the score to 2-12. Malibu would send one last shot through Foothill’s defense for a final match score of 2-13.

“I think I played pretty well, and I think as a team we played really well … We were getting good passes and getting some good shots off. We just need to work on having more team chemistry in the pool,” Liddell said.

After their match, the Dragons came together for a brief ceremony to honor the team’s seniors, Spencer and Jaeger, with heartfelt speeches and gifts to commemorate their time with the program. 

The Foothill Tech boys water polo team will play again on Oct. 17 against Viewpoint School.