The Paly lady Viking water polo team dominated Saratoga 15-4 in their second league game this past Wednesday.

Not only was this a solid win for the Vikes, but the game proved as an excellent chance to run some new plays, apply the drills they have been practicing, and give all players a chance to enhance their stats. "The game wasn’t tough, but we integrated what we did in practice into the game," Paly coach Steven Covec said.

Paly offense came out strong with help from sophomore Phoebe Champion, who won the first quarter sprint. Paly blew the Saratoga Falcons out of the water by scoring six unanswered goals the first quarter.

In the second quarter Paly continued to attack well and earned six more goals. Saratoga wasn’t about to give up though; they took advantage of Paly’s few faults and put away three goals by half. The Viking’s intensity and well-executed plays gave them a 12-3 lead at half.

Throughout the second half, both teams created many scoring opportunities, but could rarely put one in the goal. Many of Paly’s shots hit the goal post or were shot wide, while Paly senior goalie Erica Magill deflected many of Saratoga’s threatening shots. In the third quarter, Paly only put away two goals and Saratoga only scored one.

In the forth quarter Paly scored one more goal to finish off Saratoga with a score of 15-4. Though the Paly offense did not take advantage of all of their scoring opportunities, they continued to secure a strong defensive approach, preventing any Saratoga goals during the forth quarter.

The game proved important as it gave all members of the team a chance to receive valuable playing time, but the goals were distributed evenly between starters and non-starting players. Freshman Tanya Wilcox scored two goals and junior Dora Friedman put in one goal in the first quarter. Coach Covec commented that both Friedman and Wilcox played one of their best games this season.

Senior Emmy Scandling had an amazing game, scoring four goals for Paly. The left-hander has made vast improvements in these first games, and is becoming a more apparent part of the Viking’s offense. Senior Christina Partridge and junior Remy Champion scored one goal apiece. Sophomore Roxanne Pinto and P. Champion each contributed two goals to seal the Paly victory.

Paly lady Vikes hope to continue their winning record in their next league game at 6:00 pm on Wednesday Oct. 15 at Los Altos High School.