The Paly Boys Soccer Team had a quality season with a 7-5-2 record and a fourth place finish in league. The team’s run in CCS came to an end on February 22, ultimately losing to Menlo High School in sudden death penalties in the Division II quarterfinals match. 

“I was disappointed to have our season end the way it did, but super proud to know that we didn’t lose because we didn’t fight hard enough,” senior Zachary Crystal said. “We battled through the challenges that were presented to us in that final game, and were one kick away from continuing our season.”

Under new coach Luiz Lodino, the team was on fire, especially during preseason, where they were undefeated in their opening 8 matches.

“I think our season went relatively well considering that we had a new coaching staff, 7 am practices, and the fact that we were like 3-11 last year in league” junior Oliver Payne said.

Despite a dip in form midway through the season, the team kept their head up and pushed forward, making lots of improvements and adjustments as needed.

“I think we learned that resilience is key to a successful season.” Payne said.

The team was also bigger than previous years and many athletes learned what it was like to play in a big squad.

“I learned how to stay committed, how to communicate with the 30+ players on the team, how to voice my own frustrations, and most importantly to put my head down and work hard when the team needed it” Crystal said.

Overall, despite some rough patches, the Viking ultimately got came out of the season feeling pride. 

“Generally, I’m happy with how our season went,” junior Hadrien De Martel said. “We won a lot of games and we ended with a good record but we definitely struggled a bit with consistency.”