Palo Alto High School’s boys’ varsity soccer team downed Fremont, 4-2, in a game of runs Wednesday, as the Vikings improved to 4-0 in league games and 6-2-2 overall.

“It [the game] was a thriller to the very end,” said senior Chris Reade, a Paly spectator.

The first half saw numerous momentum swings as possession time slightly favored Paly, but Fremont netted two goals versus Paly’s single tally. After the half, however, the Vikings came out firing and capitalized where they had failed to do so in the first half.

“We were out of sync and off to a bad start in the first half,” senior midfielder Jean Choi said. “At the half, instead of being down and out and quitting, we decided to come out strong because we’re capable of that.”

Paly dominated the second half behind two goals by senior forward Pierre Meloty-Kapella and one by Choi. Meloty-Kapella sealed the deal for Paly with a quick split dodge and a laser to the left of Firebird senior goalie Brad West in the 84th minute.

Less prominent yet equally as important as the offense was Paly’s defense’s improvement. Senior captain and defender Cameron Taylor blocked two one-on-one opportunities for Fremont at the start of the second half. On his second tackle, Taylor booted the ball to senior forward Manny Barragan, who shot slightly wide of the far post but directly to Meloty-Kapella, who touched it in for his first tally of the day, giving Paly the lead, 3-2.

Prior to the second half, however, Paly struggled at both ends of the field. The Vikings started the game on a bright note with a header by senior forward Estevan Guerrero on a cross from senior midfielder Ben Flamm in the eighth minute. Paly’s lead did not last long, as Fremont senior midfielder Miguel Torres answered with a post shot in the 11th minute, tying it up, 1-1.

In the 19th minute, Paly saw perhaps its weakest defensive sequence on the day. Senior goalie Harrison Newkirk made a sprawling save, but was unable to grasp the rebound in front of the goal. Fremont wasted no time capitalizing on the second-chance opportunity as senior midfielder Fidel Medina connected with senior forward Shervin Hessamarfar for the Firebirds’ second goal.

“We came out really flat,” Choi said. “We fixed a lot of things [at the half], though, and were able to pressure them in the second half.”

Similar pressure will be needed Friday when Paly faces Mountain View at Mountain View at 3:30 p.m.

“If we follow our pace and our flow of the game, Mountain View should be a piece of cake,” Choi said.