Not many teams at Palo Alto High School can boast an undefeated record. Some teams are unable to boast about having a winning record. The Paly girls’ soccer team can proudly boast both of those things as they shut out Fremont High School (0-11-0) 5-0, in the last game of the regular season on Tuesday.
This is the fifth year in a row that the girls’ soccer team has ended its regular season with a winning record. In those five years, the most games the team has lost in a season was two. With the regular season coming to a close, the focus is turning towards the postseason and the Central Coast Section playoffs. This will be the team’s fourth season in a row to return to CCS and for the team’s seniors, it is their last chance at winning a championship. The Vikes came close in 2015, but were defeated in the championship game by Mountain View High School.
With the regular season now over, senior captain and midfielder Natalie Maloney reflects back on her time with the team. “Just thinking about it all makes me realize how much fun I’ve had and how much I love the girls,” Maloney said. “It seems like I was a freshman just last week. It’s kinda surreal that time has gone by so fast.”
Maloney played a key role in the game on Tuesday, scoring two out of the five goals and frequently setting up her fellow teammates. The Viking’s victory was not perfect, despite keeping possesion of the ball for almost the entire game, Paly was unable to follow up on several goal opportunities. Moving forward into CCS this is something the team needs to work on. These issues were something senior defender Lauola Amanoni noticed.
“[It was] definitely not our best [game], but a good one to remember,” Amanoni said. “[It] wasn’t the most difficult, but wasn’t an easy win.”
Paly is currently first in the De Anza league with a record of (8-0-4) but that could change as several teams still have not played their final games, including Mountain View High School, currently in second place with a record of (8-1-2). Mountain View’s game against Los Gatos High School could bump Paly from their first place position.
The Vikings’ next game has yet to be decided, official CCS match ups will be announced in a week.