The Paly varsity boys water polo team can now celebrate their second win against Los Altos, breaking through with a 5-4 win on Tuesday, October 2.

After beating the Eagles in triple overtime on Saturday, Sept. 29, the Vikings saw their second win as a symbol for the success their hoping for later in the season.

“[Los Altos] is a hard team to beat,” senior captain Geng Wang said. “We came together and pulled through for the win.”

As the game opened in the first period, several goals were made by both teams, tying it up at 2-2. Paly played a great defense, led by goalie senior Will Simon, and had an impressive offense. However, senior captain Michael Fortune mentions that the Vikings could improve in their offensive swimming situations.

“We lost a lot of our six-on-fives,” Fortune said. “We probably could’ve scored more.”

In the second period, Paly and Los Altos continued to battle it out for points. However, with an impressive underwater shot by Wang, a deep goal by senior Scott Mielke, a penalty shot made by Fortune, and several opposing shots blocked by Simon, the Vikings pulled ahead, leveling the score off at 5-3.

During the third period, Los Altos managed to score once. Things remained close, at 5-4, until the final period, where Los Altos coach Ed Samuels managed to call a time out with two seconds left in the game. However, the Eagles were unable to pull ahead, ending the game with a 5-4 victory for the Vikings.

“It was a tough game,” Paly head coach Reid Particelli said. “It was close the whole way through, but we were able to keep control for most of it. I think the boys played well.”

One of the highlights of the game was the stellar performances by the starters. Simon had 15 blocks, and Wang was the top scorer with three goals. Fortune and junior Tim Wenzlau, who was recovering from a recent illness, also had good games.

“I’ve been sick recently and had no energy,” Wenzlau said. “But I think I played well. Geng had a stellar performance – he was our ‘superman’.”

“Will was awesome in the cage,” Wang said. “It was definitely a team effort though.”

According to Particelli, there were some things the team could work on for future games.

“We were kicked out a lot on offense,” Particelli said. “Our perimeter defense could also be improved.”

Paly will battle rival Gunn in an away game on Wednesday Oct. 4.