It was another tough outing for the Palo Alto girls' soccer team on Friday night as Saratoga secured at least second place in Group B of the Palo Alto Winter Classic going into Saturday's final day following a 2-0 win by the Falcons. Saratoga started strong with three good shots on goal in the first 12 minutes. Palo Alto’s first pressure came 13 minutes in as Julia Kwasnick drove down the pitch and passed off to Jess Branson, but she couldn’t get a shot off before the defense closed in. Paly (1-3) kept the momentum as Katie Foug’s shot was deflected away and over the back line for a Palo Alto corner. The corner kick was punched out by the Saratoga goalie.
At 27 minutes in, Saratoga shot a nice cross into the box, and another Saratoga player tapped it in on the fly with her foot for the first score of the match. Palo Alto’s only other scoring opportunity in the first half came on a loose ball when the Saratoga goalie collided with a Paly player, which lead to a loose ball scramble in the box. After several scoring attempts the ball was cleared and the half ended with Saratoga up 1-0.
After two quick shots by Saratoga to start the second half, Palo Alto got busy. Megan Tall earned a corner, sending it in but deflected out by the goalie to Palo Alto’s Olivia Musil, who fired off a quick shot that a defender blocked out of play over the back line earning Paly another corner. This time a soft corner from Jacey Pederson to Julia Kwasnick, who had the goalie beat but shot just over the top of the cross bar. Saratoga soon answered with pressure of its own, only it found the net again with another cross and tap in for a 2-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining. The remainder of the game was back-and-forth, both teams playing very aggressive. Two Saratoga players were sent off with yellow cards and a few Paly girls came close to matching colors but escaped with only warnings. Paly mustered a few more shots before the final whistle.
posted by Palo Alto Online on Dec 7, 2012 at 10:04 pm
