The Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse team (14-4, 10-2) defeated Gunn High School, 14-1, on Friday in an away game, marking its first win after a three-game losing streak.
The Vikings’ ability to think through plays led to the favorable final score, according to sophomore attacker Kimmie Flather.
“I think we played well today by slowing the ball down and taking time to work on plays,” Flather said.
Within the first few minutes of the game, Gunn scored one goal to take the lead. Senior midfielder Maya Fielder and senior attacker Sam Herzog quickly retaliated with goals of their own, seizing a 2-1 lead for Paly.
After Gunn intercepted a pass from junior defender Gracie Cain to Herzog, Flather and Fielder recaptured the ball to score a clean goal.
Junior goalie Lara Cutkosky then miraculously stopped Gunn’s swift shot and proceeded to make a successful pass down the field to freshman attacker Nina Kelty, despite Gunn’s relentless defense.
The Vikings went on to score two more goals, finishing the first half with a 5-1 lead.
The Vikings’ strong momentum in the first half carried them throughout the game, according to head coach Jen Gray.
“They played a good, controlled first half, which I liked because we’ve had some first-half momentum problems in the past,” Gray said.
The Vikings kicked off the second half with three consecutive goals, making the score 8-1.
Junior midfielder Manuela Richter then made a fast break down the field. Richter proceeded to pass to Flather, who made an excellent catch and scored another goal for the Vikings.
Gunn’s goalie deflected the Vikings’ next shot, but Kelty retaliated with a brilliant assist from senior attacker Julie Dahm. The scoreboard now read 10-1, Paly.
In the last quarter of the game, the Vikings only put in seniors on the field. Herzog, Dahm, senior Brianna Boyd and others put up an aggressive fight with several more goals.
With assists from Fielder, Herzog scored the Vikings’ last two goals, resulting in a final score of 14-1.
Gray is proud of her entire team, and notably her seniors, for communicating well, working together, and coming out on top.
“They worked well together, and I saw a lot of things that I liked today,” Gray said. “We had 11 seniors out there, and they really finished it up.”
This game marks the Vikings’ second sound defeat against Gunn this season, which is especially meaningful to Gray because of the crosstown rivalry.
“This is always a good local rivalry, and winning meant a lot to the girls,” Gray said.
Gray is very pleased with the Vikings’ performance and has very few complaints.
“The one main thing we [Vikings] need to work on is sharpening up our passes and cuts,” Gray said, as she waved good-bye to a group of players. She reminded them that she would see them bright and early tomorrow morning for an 8 a.m. practice session.
The Vikings will have the chance to showcase their hard work once again in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League semifinals, hosted by Leland High School. The game will start at 4 p.m. this Wednesday.