he Palo Alto High School girls’ water polo team fell to Leland High School, 9-7, Saturday at the Paly pool in league play.

Earlier in the season the team lost to Leland 9-6, but the Lady Vikes came out strong in this game, taking a 2-1 lead in the first quarter.

“We came out really strong,” Rachel Harrus (‘11), who scored two goals in the game, said. “We got here early and practiced before the game”.

The Lady Vikes held onto their lead for the next two quarters. Leland, however, kept pressuring them, narrowly missing the goal multiple times.

“Both teams played with a lot of heart,” Leland head coach Eric Rise said.

Lady Vikes goalie, Sam Banks (‘11), prevented Leland from scoring by consistently blocking shots throughout the game.

“[It was the] best game Sam has had,” Paly’s head coach Cory Olcott said. “She looked awesome.

The fourth quarter opened with Paly leading 5-4, but Leland came out hard and scored three goals within three minutes. With 4:53 remaining, Paly trailed by two goals.

Then the Lady Vikes’ attack, Shannon Scheel, (‘12) got a breakaway. She passed the ball to attack Skylar Dorosin (‘12) who whipped the ball past the Leland goalie, bringing Paly within one. This was Dorosin’s fourth and final goal of the game.

“Skylar on [Paly] was a beast today,” Rise said. “Trying to contain her was a challenge”

After Dorosin’s goal, Leland responded by scoring again to get back its two-goal lead. The final whistle sounded with Leland victorious 9-7.

“We just got a few lucky breaks,” Rise said.

Even though the Lady Vikes came out with the loss, the team was happy with the way it played.

“Our team played a very good game,” Banks said. “We are all in a very good mood about it”.

The Lady Vikes will continue their season in the SCVAL league tournament next week for the league title. The location and time have yet to be determined.