Paly’s varsity boys’ soccer team defeated Los Gatos High School, 1-0, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, clinching the No. 1 position in the De Anza division.

Paly (16-1-2) took the lead midway through the first half, and the one goal of the entire game came when senior Adam Zernik launched the ball from the corner of the field to senior Kevin Ashworth, who headed it into the goal.

Despite numerous opportunities throughout the first half, the Vikings struggled to make goals, according to head coach Donald Briggs.

“It could have been 4-0 in the first half,” Briggs said. “We had all these opportunities, but none went in.”

Nonetheless, the Vikings were able to keep Los Gatos (11-3-2) at bay using tactics from practice, according to junior midfielder Elliot Sanborn.

“We worked on a couple of plays in practice, then applied them here,” Sanborn said. “On a free kick, we played it on the ground to [senior] Michael [Hanabusa] and they [Los Gatos] didn’t know what to do.”

Throughout the second half, Paly was able to keep control of the game, allowing less than 5 shots on goal, one of which came late in the second half bouncing off the side post of the goal.

According to Briggs, Paly has only allowed one goal to be scored on them in all of league play.

Looking forward, Paly’s main goal is to keep focus, according to Briggs. Late in the game, the Vikings were hastily clearing the ball upfield and taking poor shots, leading to turnovers which could have cost the game.

“Keeping focus is a real challenge,” Briggs said. “They [the team] know what we need to do; it’s just a matter of doing.”

Paly’s next match is at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, at Santa Clara High School.