Despite their frequent fast breaks and early lead, the varsity lacrosse team lost to the Sacred Heart Preparatory Gators, 10-5 on Tuesday.
“I think we started the game out with the right amount of attitude and the right amount of energy,” junior Bryn Kimura said. “I think our halftime warm-up really helped because it helped us gain focus.”
Almost immediately after the game started, the Vikings cut through and dodged the Gators’ defense. Attacker junior Caroline Lucas-Conwell swiftly scored to place Paly in an early lead.
The Gators’ star player, midfielder sophomore Tory Wilkinson, promptly tied the game by making an eight meter shot. She helped the Gators gain and maintain a lead throughout the game after Paly scored its third goal.
“Sacred Heart’s a really great team,” Paly coach Jen Gray said. “Player No. 4 [Wilkinson] was amazing for them. Our defense didn’t adjust to her.”
As tension mounted, the Vikings’ second goal came from Lucas-Conwell.
After a collision with another attacker, senior co-captain Kati Dahm swiftly passed the ball to junior Helene Zahoudanis. With impressive speed, Zahoudanis passed the ball to Kimura, who skillfully maneuvered around the goal and scored, giving the Vikings a 2-point lead.
Wilkinson, with assistance from SHP senior defender Andie Bradford, helped the Gators catch up by scoring the second goal for Sacred Heart. After a Gator attacker collided with Paly midfielder freshman Hannah Ohlson, Wilkinson made a penalty shot and brought the Gators up to 5-3.
Although the Vikings had many opportunities to score, SHP senior goalie Julia Robinson prevented the Vikings from making numerous goals at the end of the first half and throughout the entire second half. Near the end of the first half, both Lucas-Conwell and Dahm failed to pass the goalie, despite frequent shows of agility.
“If we had made half our shots, I think that the game might have been a little different,” Gray said.
Nevertheless, the Vikings transitioned their plays from defense to offense with more fluidity than ever.
“I saw transition today and it was better than what I have ever seen so far,” Gray said. “They [the Vikings] are getting better at it, and one day they’ll get it perfect across the board. We worked on fast breaks a lot and seeing the field before we spread out because we have a lot of speed in our midfield. We worked a lot on man-up situations and finding an open girl.”
Near the end of the game, the Vikings put more pressure on the Gators’ offensive players, who had scored four more goals, leaving the score at 8-4. With 8:30 remaining, Lucas-Conwell pierced through the Gators’ defense and scored the last Viking goal of the game.
The last goal of the game was put away by Wilkinson, marking SHP’s tenth and final goal of the day.
SHP coach Brandon Badgley said he was impressed with the first year Vikings’ performance.
“I hadn’t seen them play this year yet. [Looking] as far as they’ve gone, it’s very impressive,” Badgley said. “I’m sure with the great coaches they have here, they will be great in no time.”