On Friday, March 27th, the boys lacrosse team lost a nail-biter, 9-10, to Palo Alto High School (Paly) at home.

The first quarter started off quickly with an early goal by Paly. Both teams came out with strong amounts of energy and looked to establish a solid lead going into the second quarter. Los Altos’ defense was able to fend off the Vikings’ relentless offensive attack.

Paly appeared as if it was going to pull head, but were quickly halted by a goal by captain senior AJ Guralas. The Vikings began to pick up the pace and came back with an immediate answer, making the score 1-2. After battling it out for several minutes, sophomore Jonathan Davis tied the score, 2-2 but Paly came out on top heading into the second quarter 2-3.

By the middle of the 2nd quarter, the Vikings led 3-5 and harnessed their momentum to fend off the Eagles’ aggressive attack. It became clear that Palo Alto had the physicality and energy to ward off the Eagles into halftime.

When the third quarter commenced, the Viking’s offense looked to be unstoppable and their quick attack put the score at 3-6 early in the quarter. Despite the early obstacle, the Eagles pushed on and, after a succession of goals on both sides, ended the quarter 5-8 with Paly still in the lead.

The fourth quarter proved to be even more exciting as Palo Alto started off with another goal. However, after a Los Altos time out, the Eagles rallied to score three goals in a row and pulled to a close 8-9 score. Unfortunately, Paly quickly scored back and took the lead 8-10. With 1:16 left on the clock, Davis found an opening and scored, making the score 9-10.

Immediately, Paly called for a timeout. They had dominated faceoffs the entire game, but now the Los Altos needed to disrupt this pattern and score. With just about one minute left, Paly won the faceoff and passed the ball, winding the clock down until the final whistle blew. The final score was 9-10.

It was a tough loss for Los Altos, but it exposed the areas where the team needed to improve.

“Next game we need to play a full game,” junior Liam Mahoney said. “We took too many possessions which ended up hurting us. If we can control the pace, play good defense and limit penalties we will be able to win.”

The loss gives the Eagles a 1-1 record in the De Anza League. Los Altos’ next game is at home against league rival Gunn, who is 0-1. The game will start at 4:00 p.m.