Paly varsity field hockey fell 2-0 to rival Los Gatos after a hard-played league opener.

The Vikings entered the match expecting a challenge from Los Gatos, a historically strong team.

“Last night we didn’t know what to expect going into the game,” senior Anna Wingard said. “Knowing they’re a really good team, we put in a ton of effort and held up a good fight against them.”

The first half of the game remained scoreless for both teams, a feat that impressed players and fans alike.

“This was really impressive because their team is outstanding and we were expected to be down by a lot,” Junior Miya Joshi said.

Although Paly kept their energy up and worked hard throughout the second half, Los Gatos was able to snag many “short corners”, which gave them an open shot on the goal. By the end of the game, Los Gatos had scored two goals in order to ultimately defeat the Vikings.

“We played our game with our hearts,” junior Ella Bishop said. “It paid off because we were able to hold one of the best teams in our league to a nail-biting game.” 

Although the Vikings lost the match, last night’s game was a great improvement from their previous seasons and the team is excited to see their hard work pay out in upcoming games.

“Overall I think we were all okay with the final score because we worked so hard and it definitely paid off compared to years previous,” Wingard said.  

The Vikings have been successful so far, with wins against both Cupertino and Wilcox, and look to improve their 2-1 record on Thursday in their league game against Homestead.