Amid tears of joy and amazement, Palo Alto High School’s varsity girls’ lacrosse team skillfully upset powerhouse St. Ignatius, 5-4, in its season opener, a highly contested battle settled in overtime that established the momentum expected to carry the team forward into an incredible season.

St. Ignatius, who crushed Paly 16-0 last year, had not lost to a Northern California team in years, according to senior midfielder Maya Fielder. The victory for Paly, who just set its roster yesterday, displayed the grit and determination of the young team.

“They played out of their minds,” head coach Jen Gray said. “They fought from the first whistle, and they never stopped fighting. They were down three quarters of the game and they never stopped. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

The game featured goals by Fielder, sophomore midfielder Kimmie Flather, senior attacker Emily Fowler and freshman midfielder Nina Kelty. Senior midfielder Lauren Mah contributed a brilliantly executed goal in overtime to bring the game to 5-4, the final score of the night. Exceptional goaltending by junior Lara Cutkosky set the tone of the defense for the game, allowing the attack to play aggressively and take more shots on goal.

Fowler attributed the win to the team’s tenacity on the field.

“We were just on every ground ball, and I think we just wanted it a lot more,” Fowler said. “I think we surprised them. We had such good field vision and we just saw every ball, every play, and just connected really well.

After the game, Fielder expressed the sentiment of the entire team.

“We just beat the unbeatable team,” Fielder said.