After a long, well-played game, the Paly boys’ varsity soccer team triumphed over Santa Cruz on Monday, 3-1.
Senior midfielder Michael Hanabusa, junior forward Spencer Sims, and senior center-midfielder Adam Zernik each scored a goal for Paly’s team.
Hanabusa was first of the three to score, assisted by Sims in a well-coordinated offensive play. One minute later, Santa Cruz scored a goal of their own, bringing the score to a 1-1 tie.
Sims then scored a goal for Paly, speedily dribbling the ball to the goal, notching another point for the Vikings.
In the second half, Zernik took a long, powerful penalty shot over Santa Cruz’s goalie three minutes before the end of the game and scored the last of the game’s goals.
“It was a tough game,” Hanabusa said. “We played our hearts out.
Throughout the game, Paly only gave up a few turnovers, but simultaneously maintained a solid defense, especially throughout the second half of the game.
“It’s all about keeping them [our opponent] off our end of the field,” sophomore defender Riley Smith said. “We held on to the ball too much in the first half, but in the second half we played well, and we dominated them [Santa Cruz].”
Both teams made impressive saves and break-aways. The game was fast-paced and called upon the athletic abilities of both teams, which junior outside midfielder Elliot Sanborn especially demonstrated in his flip-throws.
Sanborn’s effective flip-throw technique played a crucial part in the Vikings’ impenetrable defense and ultimate victory. Sanborn obtains more velocity in his throw-ins by vaulting over the ball and using his whole body to whip the ball over his head. On Monday, Sanborn’s throw-ins helped Paly’s defense receive the ball in better positions.
“He [Sanborn] can throw it [the ball] about 40 yards,” sophomore defender Nittai Malchin said. “It gives us an advantage to have a player like him; that throw-in technique is crucial in our games.”
The Vikings felt confident that they played well on Monday.
“The most critical point in the game was when we put away their [Santa Cruz’s] chances of victory,” junior forward John Anderton said.