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In their fifth game of the season, the Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ lacrosse team (0-4) dominated the Carlmont High School Scots (0-0), 19-10, securing its first victory of the season.
Viking sophomore midfielder Natalie Dymmel was the star of the game, scoring a total of eight goals, four of which were consecutively scored in the third quarter. Dymmel said the Vikings felt motivated to succeed after losing the first four games of the season.
“We definitely had that drive, and everybody came out with a fire and played at their best,” Dymmel said. “It was so great to see.”
The Vikings came out strong, scoring two goals within the first three minutes of the game. The Scots were quick to respond with three goals of their own. However, this would be the last time the Scots would lead in this game. The Vikings applied pressure on offense and found open areas to drive, allowing them to score three more goals, putting them back in the lead, 5-3, by the end of the first quarter.
Going into the second quarter, the Vikings carried the same intensity and continued their offensive onslaught, scoring seven more goals. The Scots kept it close though, scoring five goals of their own. Ultimately, the Vikings ended the quarter, leading 12-8.
During the second half, the Vikings focused on staying with their opponent on defense and throwing in fakes on the goalie. This strategy worked out well for them as the Vikings got into a groove of scoring goal after goal right off of the draw. Dymmel seemed unstoppable in this quarter, managing to score four consecutive goals which further increased the Vikings’ lead. The Scots simply couldn’t stop the Vikings offense, and the score was 17-9 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter did not vary much, with the Scots scoring just one goal in the entirety of the 12-minute quarter. The Scots scored a total of just two goals in the second half. This lack of scoring by the opposing team could be credited to the dominant performance of junior Caroline Groden, the Vikings’ goalie. On the opposite side of the field, the Vikings continued their relentless scoring pursuit, ending the game with a victory of 19-10.
According to Viking head coach Kaitlin Chiu, the Vikings treated this game as a chance to implement the things they have been doing during practices.
“The mindset is really just trying to execute the things that we’ve been working on in practice,” Chiu said. “We need to work on shooting, and a little more on attack plays. And then on defensive, defensive positioning and making contact.”
According to Scots junior Caroline Sanchez, some of the main things the Scots worked on in this game are cooperation and communication.
“We [wanted] to make sure that we’re working as a team and like getting that team energy flowing because it’s the first time on the field, an actual game situation,” Sanchez said. “And then just making sure that we’re communicating with each other and trying our best.”
Groden said the Vikings have a lot of potential this year with the incoming freshmen and sophomores.
“We’ve got a lot of talent this year,” Groden said. “We have Zoe Katana, a freshman on defense who’s been phenomenal, and then Natalie Dymmel came in this year, and she’s a huge asset in the midfield.”
The Vikings will play in another non-league game against Castilleja High School (4-0) at 5:30 p.m. today at home.
