Publication Date: Friday, January 16, 2004
PREP SOCCER
Paly girls are picking up steam
Paly girls are picking up steam
(January 16, 2004) Vikings have won five straight, all by shutout, after a 2-2-2 start
by Keith Peters
When the Palo Alto girls' soccer team got off to a 2-2-2 this season, the obvious question centered on what was wrong with the Vikings.
After all, nine starters returned from a team that lost only one match in 2003 and even better things were expected in 2004.
Since getting the season off to a slow start, the Vikings have picked up the pace and are playing like everyone thought they would.
On Tuesday, Paly routed visiting Cupertino, 9-0. It was the Vikings' fifth straight win and fifth consecutive shutout. The visiting Pioneers got off just one shot in the match.
The season certainly has turned around for Paly since its shocking loss at Los Altos to open the SCVAL season. After that setback, coach Jeff van Gastel gave his team an earful.
"It seems to have worked for now," said van Gastel, whose team has outscored the competition, 25-0, in the past five matches.
Dani Hanabusa, Kat Stolpa and Lindsay Stirrat all scored two goals each against last-place Cupertino, while Stolpa added two assists as did Rachel Hamilton.
Paly went into Thursday's big match against Saratoga (2-0-2) trailing Los Altos (3-1-1) by one point. The Vikings, however, can do something about that when they play host to the Eagles on Jan. 22 to start the second half of the division season.
Gunn (1-3, 5-5-1) could help Paly's first-place hopes when the Titans host Los Altos on Tuesday. Gunn, however, will need to generate more offense than it did this past week in a 2-1 loss to visiting Saratoga. Only a penalty kick by Morgan Holland kept Gunn in the game until the final moments as Saratoga took charge early. The Titans finally turned the aggressor in the second half with some spirited runs.
In the West Bay Athletic League, Woodside Priory (2-1, 5-2-1) is showing some sparks of life following a 3-0 win over host Mercy-San Francisco. The Panthers are only a game back of first-place Notre Dame-San Jose. Abby Mills, Stephanie Schultz and Christina Tobacco scored against Mercy.
In the PAL Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton (2-3-1, 3-10-1) kept its slim playoff hopes alive by drubbing visiting Terra Nova, 3-0. Kaitlin McGhee, Courtney Morse and Jessica Haren scored for the Bears while Wendy Funk added two assists.
Menlo School (2-2-2, 8-3-2) played its second straight lackluster game and suffered a 2-1 loss to visiting San Mateo. Sarah Horton gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the second half, but Menlo's defense couldn't stop the Bearcats as the Knights fell into a tie for fourth place.
Boys
Palo Alto (3-1, 9-3-1) remained a game back of first-place Mountain View (4-0) in the De Anza Division after holding off host Fremont, 1-0, Tuesday. Mike Bianchi scored off an assist from Pedro Duarte just 25 minutes into the first half.
Paly coach Don Briggs lauded the play of Justin Nolley and Ed Chang from their midfield spots while Cameron Taylor, Erik Wartenburg and Ben Flamm drew praise for their defensive efforts.
Gunn (1-1-2, 8-2-3) had an opportunity to shake up the league standings by hosting Mountain View on Thursday. Two days earlier, the Titans received plenty of offense as Matt Marquess, Alex Guzinski and Ryan McDermott all scored. Host Santa Clara, however, matched Gunn and the teams settled for a 3-3 deadlock.
In the PAL Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton (4-1-1, 8-3-1) fell out of a tie for first place following a scoreless deadlock with visiting Menlo (0-2-4, 2-3-7).
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