Palo Alto High School’s boys’ soccer team tied Santa Clara High School 0-0 in their second league game of the season today.

During the first half, held possession an even amount of the time, with neither team at advantage. However, in the second half, Paly picked up their intensity and started making more offensive plays. Although Paly spent a lot of time near Santa Clara’s goal, they often chose to pass the ball near the goal instead of shoot. There were several good shots made by Paly players, and keepers from both teams made several saves.

With seven minutes left in the game, team captain and Junior midfielder Wesley Woo received a red card, and after that Paly had to play a man down for the rest of the game, losing some of the momentum they had been building. In the last few minutes, Paly started to regain some momentum, subbing in several more offensive players, but neither Santa Clara nor Paly were able to score.

Palo Alto High School’s boys soccer team will kick off against Santa Clara High School at 3:30 p.m. today at the El Camino Field. Check back here for a live-blog of the game.

3:32 Paly kicks off against Santa Clara.
3:33 Neil Biswas chases down a Santa Clara player on a breakaway, Sc passes to goalie.
3:37 Cina Vazir orchestrates an offensive play, ball kicked out by SC.
3:38 SC pushes Wesley Woo over, Paly free kick in Santa Clara half.
3:40 keeper Tony Maharaj saves the ball in a Santa Clara cross.
3:42 Maharaj grabs the ball after an SC free kick.
3:43 Woo dribbles down the field, passes to Siddhartj Srinivasan, run off field.
3:44 Srinivasan passes to Dami Bolarinwa, on breakaway but goalie gets ball.
3:47 Woo tripped after some fancy passing, free kick.
3:48 SC is called offsides near Paly goal.
3:49 Preston Kuppe steals Santa Clara breakaway, dribbles up the field, kicks to offense, offense loses the ball.
3:50 Paly makes several attempts to shoot the ball after a corner kick, ball goes out of play for another corner kick.
3:52 Kuppe makes cross to Fernando Rodriguez, after a series of quick passes, the ball goes out of play.
3:57 With fifteen minutes left in the half, Santa Clara takes a free kick near the goal, which Maharaj grabs out of the air.
3:58 Paly gets a free kick in Santa Clara’s half after Roberto Sotelo is fouled.
4:00 After a series of quick Paly passes, a shot 5 feet from the goal is blocked by the SC goalie and defenders.
4:01 Paly makes several passes near the goal without shooting, Rodriguez finally takes a shot, is blocked.
4::03 Paly switches to a more defensive formation as they switch in Steven Blatman for Woo.
4:04 Santa Clara gets a free kick just outside the goal box after two players fall, Maharaj bounces it out of bounds, SC corner.
4:06 With six minutes left in the half, Woo subs back in for Reuben Kramer. Score is still 0-0.
4:12 Rodriguez takes a shot right near the goal, Paly follows up with a rebound shot, goes out of bounds. Half could end at any moment.
4:13 Half time is called. The Vikings and the Bruins are currently tied 0-0.
4:15 Possession so far has been fairly even, Paly has perhaps held the ball a few times more. Something Paly could improve on for the second half is taking more shots. Currently, Paly has been stalling shooting, instead electing to pass to someone else in hopes that they will have a better angle. This reporter advises that the Vikings take more initiative, and take the shots whenever they get the opportunity.

4:23 Santa Clara kicks off to start the second half. Score is 0-0.
4:23 Paly gets a corner kick, taken by Vazir, keeper gets it.
4:26 Yellow card called on Santa Clara after Srinivasan is pushed over during a breakaway. Free kick near the goal taken by Vazir, then retaken after ref blows the whistle, Srinivasan takes a shot, misses over the goal.
4:29 Santa Clara takes a shot out of the goal box, hits the cross bar and goes over the goal.
4:30 Santa Clara gets free kick near Paly goal, Paly forms a wall, Vazir heads it out of trouble.
4:31 Paly gets a free kick after Stoksik is slide tackled. azir takes it from near the corner, goes over to Biswas, but eventually kicked out of goal area.
4:32 Santa Clara takes a shot, barely goes behind the goal, Blatman takes goal kick.
4:33 Kramer subs in for Blatman.
4:34 Biswas is pushed from behind by three different players within a few seconds, Kuppe takes free kick.
4:37: Edward Chen dribbles up to the goal, makes a cross, kicked out by defender, Stoksik takes another shot, caught by keeper.
4:39 Xavier Sherer slides into a defender in an attempt to take a shot, goalie clears it.
4:42 Woo called on a hand ball near the Santa Clara goal box.
4:44 Vazir crosses to Sherer, who attempts to take a shot and ends up slide tackling Santa Clara. Santa Clara free kick.
4:48 With 15 minutes left in the half, Santa Clara takes a shot, hit out of bounds by Paly, and now a Santa Clara corner kick. After several passes, Maharaj throws it into the other half.
4:49 Vazir kicks the ref near the Santa Clara goal.
4:49 Sotelo and Rodriguez sub in for Chen and Stoksik.
4:51 Sotelo attempts to take a shot, hits the defenders in an overcrowded penalty box.
4:53 Santa Clara is down near Paly’s goal. Paly is ligned up for a goal kick. Player is stretching off the field.
4:54 Nine minutes left in the half, score is still 0-0.
4:56 Rodriguez makes a valiant effort to get a ball after Vazir kicks it down the field towards the corner, after some contact with Santa Clara, ball goes out of play.
4:57 Red card called on Woo after Santa Clara goes down, originally a yellow, but then the ref changed his mind. Paly is a man down with five minutes left in the game.
5:00 Santa Clara takes a shot, curves slightly away from the goal and misses over the corner.
5:01 Kramer intercepts a Santa Clara breakaway, kicked it out of bounds.
5:02 Free kick called after Santa Clara pushes Srinivasan from behind. Game could end at any moment.
5:03 After corner by Sotelo, hand ball called on Bolarinwa in Penalty Box.
5:04 Game ends as Santa Clara kicks an offsides free kick. Paly ties Santa Clara 0-0.