In their third game of the 2026 season, the Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse (2-1) team defeated the Sequoia Ravens (1-2), 18-6, capitalizing on drives and penalty shots to double their score in the 2nd half while only letting in one goal.
The Vikings quickly scored three straight goals to begin the game, and kept the pressure on offensively throughout the first quarter.
According to senior team captain Charlotte Barclay, the Vikings focused on defense throughout the game.
“On defense, our goal was to focus on crease defending, while attack was focusing on slowing it down to wait for good decisions,” Barclay said. “But in general, our team was focusing on effort and defense all around.”
The Vikings began the second quarter leading the Ravens, 8-4. However, in this quarter, the game was dictated by strong defensive performances by both teams. Each team scored one goal; the Vikings’ coming from sophomore attack, Zara Mathoda.
The third quarter began the same way, although the Vikings’ offensive players did find the net three times. Two of these goals came in the span of two minutes, both coming from freshman midfielder Hanna Karsner. The Vikings led another strong defensive quarter, only giving up one goal to the Ravens.
Barclay said the Vikings have been hard at work in the offseason.
“We focused a lot on the weight room this offseason,” Barclay said. “Getting strong in lacrosse is important, to have a lot of muscle and to use that muscle to get an advantage on the field.”
The Vikings continued to run up the score in the fourth quarter, as well as their defensive consistency. The Vikings shut out the Ravens in the fourth quarter, leading to their win, 18-6.
Viking head coach Kaitlin Chiu said junior Eleanor Rainey had a great performance, in large part because she had confidence and showed great leadership.
“Our player of the game today was Eleanor Rainey,” Chiu said. “She’s been on the team for a couple of years now, and this is kind of like one of the first times that I’ve seen her kind of really take on a strong leadership role. There have been moments where I saw her hesitate a little bit, but then overcome that doubt of her ability.”
According to senior team captain Sofia Singer, the team has improved a lot since last year.
“The first game was against Woodside, and last season they beat us 13-3,” Singer said. “This year we beat them 10-9, so we’ve definitely improved.”
The Vikings are now 2-1 in the early season, and will play their next game against the Saint Francis Lancers (2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at home.
