Palo Alto High School boys’ soccer team fell 2-0 to Bellarmine High School in the Central Coast Section (CCS) quarterfinals.

The first five minutes of the game was a round of observation filled of long balls where Reuben Kramer (’16) and Preston Kuppe (’15) dominated the air and helped Paly relieve the pressure.

Cole tierney (’16) and Roberto Sotelo (’16) brought danger on the wings; however Michel Siaba (’17) was unable to put an audacious bicycle kick on target.

After a second free kick by Steven Blatman (’15), goalkeeper Eli Friedlander (’16) failed to block a Bellarmine goal.

The Vikings, lead by Wesley Woo (’15), tried to react by sending more men forward. They were severely punished by a counter attack that resulted in a goal by Bellarmine senior, Nick Lion. The Vikings ended the first half down by two goals, escaping the worst after a Bellarmine header almost found the back of the net in injury time.

In the start of the second half, Blatman gained precious falls helping Paly move its block up the field. Woo, Dami Bolarinwa (’16) and Kuppe, who left his center back position for a more offensive position, were the main offensive threats for Paly.

Unfortunately, the Vikings concluded their season with a 2-0 loss to the Bells.

“Obviously Bellarmine is a really good team and they played a strong game that says a lot about their program, ” Sid Srinivasan (’16) said. “The main difference was that they were able to take their changes.”

According to Declan Cassini (’16) and Woo,  the team has high hopes for next season because there are going to be 11 returning seniors.