The buzzer sounds, marking the end of the fourth period, a victory for the Tustin High Tillers, and a loss for the Warriors at their first home game of the year on Dec. 2.

With a final score of 4-7, girls water polo (0-2) could not defeat their opponent. After a lengthy fight, the team was not able to score once the opposing team gained momentum.

“Our biggest problem was our movement,” sophomore Jilly Hamilton said. “We probably should have released more, and we just needed to be more confident in driving.”

The first period of the game ended with a score of 1-2, as the Warriors worked hard to catch up to the Tillers. By the second period, they found themselves battling neck-and-neck with a score of 3-3. However, by the time the third period ended, the team found itself behind two points at 3-5.

“I don’t think we played to our full potential…this is only our second game playing together, so I think it was rough…we definitely need to work on moving the ball down the pool faster,” senior and captain Bianka Mathus said.

Not long after the fourth period began, Tustin scored again, then twice more with its impressive line of offense, which resulted in the team’s three-point loss.

However, with high standards and optimistic goals, the team is continuing to keep its head up and is already looking towards the future.

“We need to get used to each other, and that takes time; we just need to play together,” coach Jared Gray said. “But they’re playing really hard, and that will help us as we go into the season…they worked really hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”

The Warriors are looking forward to league matches against Irvine High, a recurring rival, as well as local opponents Northwood High and University High.

“Everyone played their heart out,” Hamilton said. “So it doesn’t matter if we won or lost because I’m happy with the outcome.”

The team’s next game will be at the Aliso Niguel Aquatics Center Dec. 8 against Aliso Niguel High at 4 p.m.