Thursday afternoon, October 7, 2025, the Buena boys’ water polo team faced off against the Oxnard Hornets. One of the first league matches of the season, the stands were filled with support for each side, and everyone was ready to watch the game unfold. After four quarters of back-and-forth water polo, the Hornets fell to the Bulldogs, 23-3.
Right off the bat, Buena stole the sprint and closely followed the win with two goals scored by number four, sophomore Paolo DelNagro and number 11, senior Wyatt Munger. With a score of 2-0, Buena pulled ahead with an immediate lead, and they kept the ball rolling. Number two, senior River Davis managed to put two more goals in the back of the net.
After three more goals were scored for Buena, Oxnard drew an ejection with a few seconds to spare and scored off of the man up, leaving the first quarter to end at 7-1, Buena.
As the whistle blew for the start of the second quarter, Buena did not relent. After winning the sprint, number 99 and senior Finn Lange immediately drove the ball down and scored, grabbing another point for Buena. Even with their second line up in, Buena dominated the pool, managing to block every shot Oxnard got off.
“We can use [games] like this to give everyone meaningful minutes, so the entire roster is ready when we face the tougher competition. It is a chance to reinforce mental focus and humility,” T. Davis said. “Success in easy games means nothing if we do not build on it when the challenges come.”
After some back and forth swimming and some amazing steals made by goalie and senior Mack Munger, Buena managed to make six out of seven shots. Alas, Oxnard managed to slip one through the hands of the goalie in a swing shot, leaving halftime to sit at a score of 14-2, Bulldogs.
The second half started, and although Buena won the sprint, they lost the ball at half, giving Oxnard possession. After a missed shot from the inside by the Hornets, the Bulldogs stole back possession. Lange and number eight, junior Tony Bruno swam down the pool for a cross
cage assist to goal, bringing the score to 15-2.
Quarter three was a lot of up and down the pool, with numerous ejections called from both sides, but Buena’s defense held strong, and they managed to sneak three more goals in before the buzzer sounded for the end of quarter, leaving it at 18-2.
In games with a wide score difference like this, R. Davis stressed how important it was that they use these games to their advantage.
“I like to use games [like these] to get connected with my team and get in our flow state before a big weekend,” R. Davis said.
At the start of the last quarter, Buena won the sprint for a fourth time, and scored scored off the rip. Even after it switched to Oxnard’s possession, a quick ball under in favor of Buena allowed DelNagro to draw a five meter, or a penalty shot, at the two-meter line. Bruno took the shot and made it with a speedy high corner.
The Bulldogs ripped off three more shots before focusing on defense for the rest of the game in a sportsmanlike manner. Oxnard managed to sneak in one more goal in their man-up before the game ended at a settled score of 23-3, Buena Bulldogs.
Even though this game might have been on the easier side, the boys water polo team has some hard games coming up, and they need to be focused and ready.
“We have to have the memory of a goldfish… if a blowout game like this happens, we can’t get [overconfident] and expect the next game to go the same way, we have to [move on],” W. Munger said.
