Although the Vikings varsity girls’ team was evenly matched against Menlo-Atherton during the first half, they were unable to maintain their tie with the Bears and lost 7-3 Tuesday.

“The first half, the team played really well,” head coach Jen Gray said. “We maintained the control of the ball 80% of the time. We had a problem letting down in the first ten minutes in the second half.”

Although Menlo-Atherton attacker Alex Fanelli scored the first goal, Paly freshman attacker Hannah Ohlson quickly fought through the Bears’ tight defense and tied the game 1-1. The game progressed quickly after each goal, as the Bears’ offense surged immediately after Ohlson’s goal. Margho Dunnahoo-Kirsch promptly penetrated Paly’s smaller defense and made a goal.

Near the end of the first half, many fouls, interceptions, and collisions occurred among the players. Paly Sophomore Emily Fowler attempted a goal after intercepting it from a throw off, but it failed to cut through the defense. The Vikings struggled fight the Bear’s defense after their first goal.

Menlo-Atherton attacker Cassandra Burnett scored to close off the first half of the game at 2-1.

Before the lag in the second half, sophomore Brianna Boyd scored after Paly’s attackers struggled to avoid the defenders with their balls. After Paly’s second goal, Menlo-Atherton attackers Fanelli, Kendall Eder, and Burnett were particularly diligent in checking, intercepting, and scoring the ball during the second half.

When the Bears invaded the Vikings’ defense, junior co-captain and goalkeeper Anna Bastidas blocked three close goals.

The Bears almost gained one point after a close call, but after crossing a boundary, the Vikings got the ball. Fueled by this close call, they charged into the Bears’ territory and ramped up their efforts to score.

With only nine minutes left in the second half, junior Caroline Lucas-Conwell scored to bring Paly within four at 7-3, but Paly never gained any ground after that. Senior co-captain Kati Dahm noted that the team must maintain its initial intensity to win more games.

“We go into the game and start out 100%,” Dahm said. “By the second game, we’re at 25%.”

Ohlson, however, felt that the Vikings improved in their second game against Menlo-Atherton.

“I think we played well compared to the first time we played against these guys,” Ohlson said. “But we did not play our best, we had some lapses. There were streaks of brilliance, but we didn’t get it together.”
Gray noted that the team has come a long way from their first tryouts and scrimmage against the Bears.

“That first scrimmage [against Menlo-Atherton] was a week after tryouts,” Gray agreed. “We weren’t quite ready to play a game then. I count that as a really hard practice.”

Dahm feels that the team will strive to become more consistent at their next game.

Despite their loss, the team feels that it has continued to improve and play well.

“But other than that in terms of executions, throwing, and catching, I think we did really well today,” Gray said. “We need to work on our shooting. We need to work on our timing on our attacks. And on defense, we need to get a little tougher.

The Vikings will face Pioneer High School on April 18, at 5:30 p.m.