Palo Alto avenged a first-round loss to rival Gunn by handing the visiting Titans a 3-1 defeat in SCVAL De Anza Division action on Wednesday night. Gunn won the first meeting by the same score. This time, Paly started aggressively and dominated the ball. The Vikings scored quickly as center midfielder Lily Seedman passed to Mira Ahmad, who found the net from 15 yards out in the sixth minute. This was Ahmad's first game and first goal of the season as she had been benched due to previous concussions.
Gunn tied it 10 minutes later on a goal by Sarah Robinson, a member of the U.S. U-17 National Team. The Paly offense kept up the pressure, threatening Gunn goal keeper Monisha White (also playing her first game of the season). In the 22nd minute, Paly had the ball in front of the goal, scrambling with multiple players taking shots. The loose ball finally was finished by sophomore Sunny Lyu for a 2-1 lead.
With four minutes remaining in the half, Paly junior forward Jordan Smith outran Gunn defenders down the right side of the field and crossed the ball to the far left post, where defender Nina Kelty met Smith's feed to score.
