Following a loss to Archbishop Mitty, the Vikings looked to bounce back against the Valley Christian Warriors on Friday night. The game faced some delays with no referees showing up to officiate the game. Following an agreement with the Warriors coaching staff, Paly varsity head coach Alex Gwyn stepped up as the referee of the game. 

The Vikings had a slow start in the first quarter as the Warriors took control. While the Warriors were unable to score a goal in the first, they had possession for the majority of the first quarter. 

“It was weird not having a coach cheering us on from the sidelines — it felt like there was some major absence, so we didn’t play our best at first,” senior Nina Faust said.

After the first quarter, the Vikings came up with a few goals to accomplish during the rest of the game.  

“Players on the bench would take on the coach’s role of cheering and giving instructions, offense would run harder and make more passes, and defense would position themselves farther down the field and communicate more about positioning,” Faust said. 

The Vikings took the reins for the rest of the game. Junior Hannah Niebuhr led the scoring with two of the Vikings’ three goals. While the Vikings did concede one goal in the third quarter, they were able to lock down the Warriors’ offense for the rest of the game.

“I’d definitely consider this one of our best games, and I’m proud about how the team turned it around,” Faust said.

After the game against the Warriors, the Vikings are confident going into their future games.