Palo Alto Boys Soccer loses a hard-fought match against  SCVAL rival Los Gatos. Before the game began the team’s seniors were honored for their contribution to the squad. The seniors include Matt Knowles (‘18), Xander Sherer (‘18), Kiran Misner (‘18), Alex Antunex (‘18), Victor Magnussen (‘18), Valter Lavander (‘18), and Steven Barrea (‘18).

As the match got underway, Paly had trouble finding ways to move the ball around. Passes were inaccurate, and often were intercepted. Los Gatos decided to take complete advantage of this and fire a shot in to the top corner in the middle of the first half.

The Vikings try to counter Los Gatos as they get a quality shot off in return. However, the shot was blocked, but it looked like it gave the offence a spark. As Paly looks to find more ways to get the ball in the net, Los Gatos intercepts a pass and dribbles down the pitch and finishes the play with yet another goal. The Vikings are now down 2-0.

Late in the second half Play is still desperately looking for ways to score. They manage to put together a strong possession late in the game, but as they get in the penalty box, a Los Gatos Defender steals the ball away. The Vikings lose the match 2-0.

“We did not create enough opportunities to score. And when we do find that opportunity, we have trouble finishing our shots. We need put in a lot of hard work before our next game to bounce back” Paul Thie (‘19) said.

Going into the rest of the season, the Vikings playoff hopes are still unclear. As of now they are in third place in the SCVAL, but a lot can change before the postseason.

The Vikings hope to get back on track this Wednesday against Mountain View High School.