The Palo Alto High boys’ water polo team, after a strong start Friday at the Palo Alto Invitational, struggled in back-to-back losses yesterday.

The Vikings followed a 6-3 loss to Mitty with a 9-5 setback against Los Gatos in the ninth-place game.

Against the Wildcats, goalie Tayson Siegel had a stellar effort for Paly.

Scoring for Paly were James Snyder; sophomore Mike Sorgenfrei, Eric Vallone, Lee Anderson, and sophomore Gregor Horstmeyer.

In the earlier loss, Mitty led 1-0 at the end of the first quarter. Paly bounced back, however, scoring two goals in the second quarter, and holding Mitty at 2-2.

Their momentum did not last through the second half, and Paly’s defense allowed Mitty four shots.

On Friday, Paly crushed Mountain View 16-2 in the first of five games at their home pool.

In the first quarter, the Vikings’ junior Seth Bowles won the sprint and scored Paly’s first goal, and Mountain View never recovered.
Bowles, Hortsmeyer and junior Gavan Cook were Paly’s leading scorers with three goals apiece.

Sorgenfrei scored two goals, and sophomores Dan Griffin and Eric Vallone, juniors James Snyder, and seniors Lee Anderson and Brenton Ganschow contributed to the team’s success with one goal each.

Mountain View senior Brad Bertokt was able to notch one goal on a 6-on-5 advantage in the first quarter, and senior co-captain Drew Taylor scored the Spartans’ second goal in the third quarter.

In Paly’s second game, the Vikings fell 14-3 to Sacred Heart. Though Sacred Heart dominated during the first two quarters, ending the half with a 9-0 lead, Play rebounded with fresh energy in the second half.

"We decided to start every quarter like it was 0-0," Paly coach Jon Barnea said.

The Vikings scored twice on 6-on-5 opportunities, in the third and fourth quarters, stepping up to Sacred Heart’s tough offense.