The Vikings beat the Los Altos High School Eagles 1-0 this afternoon in their first league game of the season.

The game started off slow with neither team converting shots on goal. The pace changed 20 minutes into the game, when Dami Bolarinwa (‘16) made a shot, but it was called back due to a foul. Bolarinwa took another attempt a few minutes later with a shot to the top left side of the goal, but the Los Altos keeper secured the ball.

After a few more shot attempts by Paly, Ariya Momeny (‘16) finally finished a shot for the Vikings and brought the score to 1-0 with 12 minutes remaining in the half.

Although the play in the first half was not very strong, Paly was able to hold its ground in the second half of the game.

“We played a little soft in the first half,” head coach Don Briggs said. “We were letting them beat us in the air, but in the second half we played a lot tougher and stronger and we didn’t let them have a lot of the free balls.”

Captain Preston Kuppe (‘15) thought that overall, the team performed well today.

“I think we played really well, especially defensively,” Kuppe said. “It’s really nice getting a shutout.”

Briggs also noted how Paly’s defense contributed to the win. Goalkeepers Alex Bonomi (‘16) and Eli Friedlander (‘16) both made multiple saves, helping Paly pull off the shut out.

“Both keepers played nice games,” Briggs said.  “They controlled the game well.”

Despite claiming the win, offensive player Edward Chen (‘15) believes the team has a few things they should work on for the future.

“We had a lot of offsides calls and miscommunications that shouldn’t be happening,” Chen said. “We’re definitely working on that.”

Although the team may have a few things to improve on for its next game, Kuppe emphasized the importance of the win in increasing Paly’s chances of making it to Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs.

“Our season is going to get harder and harder as it goes on,” Kuppe said. “So, it’s important to win the easier games to get as many points as possible so that we can go to CCS.”

The Vikings play their next game at Monta Vista on Tuesday, Jan. 13th at 3:30 p.m.