Amid tears of joy, the Palo Alto High School varsity girls’ (1-0) lacrosse team stunned powerhouse St. Ignatius, 5-4, Friday in its season opener, a highly contested battle settled in overtime that sets the tone for a highly promising season.
St. Ignatius, which last year crushed Paly, 16-0, and was ranked sixth in the state, had not lost to a Northern California team in years, according to senior midfielder Maya Fielder. The victory for Paly, who is only in its third season and just set its roster Thursday, displayed the young team’s grit and determination.
“They played out of their minds,” head coach Jen Gray said. “They fought from the first whistle, and they never stopped fighting. They were down three quarters of the game and they never stopped. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
The game started out with the two teams evenly matched, but nervousness against a powerful Wildcat squad hindered the Vikings’ aggressiveness and ability to score. After 12 minutes of intense back-and-forth play in which the Vikings spent much of the time on the attack, the Wildcats scored their first goal. Despite a solid defensive effort by Paly, a series of dropped balls at midfield and shifting possessions between the Vikings and the Wildcats allowed St. Ignatius to score again two minutes later, bringing the score to 0-2.
Gray attributed the early deficit to the players’ nerves.
“They were nervous to start and they didn’t have confidence in their shot,” Gray said. “Even though we were on attack a lot in the first half, we didn’t have that move to goal. As soon as we got that confidence, I think, then there was just no stopping.”
The Vikings started the second half strong, making great passes and staying on the attack. Eight minutes into the half, the Vikings reclaimed the ball from St. Ignatius and ran it down the field, allowing sophomore midfielder Kimmie Flather to score the Vikings’ first goal of the night.
Just two minutes later, after a close shot by senior attacker Mari Wilson, senior attacker Emily Fowler recovered the ball and passed it to Fielder, who jumped up and forced the ball past the Wildcats’ goalie, tying the score at 2-2.
The Vikings would not trail for the rest of the game as their confidence increased and the momentum swung in their favor. Not long after the first two goals, Fielder passed to Fowler, who scored, giving the Vikings their first lead of the night at 3-2. The excitement increased as, minutes later, freshman midfielder Nina Kelty sprinted down the field through the Wildcats’ defense and knocked in Paly’s fourth goal of the night, establishing to the crowd the viability of a Paly victory.
After Paly’s incredible three-goal streak, St. Ignatius countered with a goal with five minutes remaining, making the score 4-3. Exceptional goal-tending by junior Lara Cutkosky held the Wildcats at bay until just 19 seconds before the buzzer, when they were able to run around the goal and score from the left side, tying the score at 4-4.
The game was sent into overtime, with nerves high on both sides and Paly hoping to pull a monumental upset. Less than halfway through the first of two three-minute overtime periods, Fowler passed to senior attacker Sam Herzog, who was standing behind the goal. Herzog made an excellently executed pass to senior midfielder Lauren Mah, who stood directly in front of the goal and cleanly tossed the ball into the net, making it 5-4, Paly.
Cutkosky defended the goal brilliantly as the Paly defense fended off the Wildcats’ ruthless attacking offense in the dying minutes of the game. Despite numerous shots on goal by the desperate St. Ignatius players, Paly was able to defend their home turf and ultimately claim the 5-4 victory.
Coach Jamie Nesbitt spoke of the value of Cutkosky’s play during the game.
“Lara had an incredible game,” Nesbitt said. “I think she stepped up like she needed to. She was a huge part of the game.”
Cutkosky said her success was compounded by the great team effort.
“People shoot on you all the time [in practice], but nothing really compares to being in the game,” Cutkosky said. “After a while you get into it and you’re just there. I think the best quality of our team is…they’re there; we’re in tune.”
Fielder agreed that the team’s coherence played a large role in its success.
“Our ability to keep our composure on offense [contributed to the win],” Fielder said. “Usually when we’re on attack we’ll freak out and drop it, but we were able to keep it composed and pass on attack and our defense [was able] to be so cohesive as a unit. All up and down the field we just connected as a team.”
“What really stood out in that game, aside from what we normally do, is that our transition was incredible,” Fielder added. “Our transition up and down the field was flawless.”
Fowler ascribed the win to the team’s tenacity on the field.
“We were just on every ground ball, and I think we just wanted it a lot more,” Fowler said. “I think we surprised them. We had such good field vision and we just saw every ball, every play, and just connected really well.
Nesbitt, in her first year with the team, said she was both surprised and impressed by the results.
“Being new, I didn’t know what to expect,” Nesbitt said. “These girls are really good, and there’s a lot of good leadership with the senior class. The trick was just trying to get them to believe they could do it.”
After the game, Fielder expressed the sentiment of the entire team.
“We just beat the unbeatable team,” Fielder said.