Tonight was the second time this season that the Gunn High School Titans faced off against the Palo Alto High School Vikings. Tonight was the second time they tied, 1-1, and in similar fashion. Tonight, Viking fans were disappointed.
Paly was able to jump out to an early lead when forward Zac Hummel (’11) was clipped in his attempt to score, allowing midfielder John Richardson (’11) to drive in a goal off of a penalty kick. This time around, the Vikings looked like they were going to be able to leash the Titans early and prevent them from a late-game comeback.
Both teams seemed to be equal in talent, as they continued solid play through the first half. The strong Viking defense headed by Gerrit Van Zyll (’12) and Grant Shorin (’13) stopped the Titan attack, and the Titan defense stopped the Viking attack led by Hummel, Richardson and Skyler Felt (’13). As a spectator, I was shocked that there was even a goal in the first place. Yet, I became even more shocked at how the game was played in the second half and how it ended.
As the first half came to a close, both teams realized that they were in for an intense match: Paly was eager to extend its win streak to two games, and Gunn wished to at least try to finish its season on a higher note. Yet, Paly and Gunn sang the same tune tonight in the first half: strong defense, offensive pressure, and a passion to defeat their cross-town rivals. However, the only tune really heard was the crowd’s utter distaste with the officiating.
Because the second half was the same in maximum effort on both sides, tempers started to flare. And with the tempers rising, so should the amount of whistles blown, or at least so one would think. But it didn’t quite happen that way. Blatant fouls were disregarded, and whistles were blown on bogus non-contact plays. To Paly’s defense, the officiating did seem to favor the Titans. As the physical contact escalated between the teams, tension in the stands escalated, and so did the desire to win for the Titans.
When the game came down to its final minutes, Gunn took things to a desperate level as keeper Paul Blanchette (’12) ran down the field attempting to serve the ball to one of his teammates. The Titans appeared as if they were a battering ram, trying and trying again to penetrate the walls of the Paly defense. And in the last minute, they prevailed as Victor Lazarov (’11) struck a perfect shot in the upper left hand corner in the net. Cheers of joy flooded the Titans, it was almost as if they were the victors despite the tie. Paly knew, however, that this was only a tie in the scorebooks…the taste of defeat was already being digested.
The game ended just how the previous match up. Except this time, redemption will most likely not be achieved as both teams’ chances of a post-season run are very slim. Paly will face off against Los Gatos on Wednesday on the Paly football field, in what is expected to be another closely fought, physical battle.
