Paly girls’ soccer defeated Saratoga 3-0 at home, with Emily Tomz (‘18) getting a hat trick.

The Vikings found possession of the ball in the early minutes of the game, controlling the ball for the majority of the first half. Tomz started her streak soon after the whistle with a shot ringing off the crossbar.

“We knew that they’re good at not letting a lot of goals in, and they’re going to bunch up in the middle, so we really worked on penetrating in practice, and getting through that” Tomz said.

After a foul was committed right outside the box, Jacey Pederson (‘16) set up to take a free kick. The kick deflected off the wall for a corner, but was shot over after the ball was played in.

The first half ended 1-0, with a goal by Tomz wide open on the edge of the box with a shot right into the left corner of the goal.

“When we shared the ball up top, it looked a lot better than trying to just take everybody on the dribble” Coach Eric Seedman said.

After a jumble in the box, Tomz was able to slot in her second goal of the game in the fifth minute of the second half. Tomz then finished off the scoring with ten minutes left in the game for her third and final goal of the game, getting her a hat trick.

The Vikings will go on to play at Santa Clara on Monday, January 25 at 5 p.m.