The girls soccer team defeated the Burlingame Panthers 2-0 on Thursday night.
The Bears started with the ball and quickly attacked, creating several opportunities to score in the first five minutes. Sophomore left-winger Akimi Jespersen ripped a shot to the bottom left corner but it was saved by Burlingame’s goalkeeper.
The Bears continued to dominate on offense. Constant pressure on the Panthers’ defense led to two consecutive corner kicks for the Bears. After the first corner kick deflected off of a Burlingame defender, the second kick was shot into the goalkeeper’s box. The ball ricocheted off of multiple players’ legs until sophomore striker Stella Hall tapped it into the goal for the first points of the match.
“We worked on that corner play, which was great,” Hall said. “Overall, our corner kick game was really good today.”
The Panthers retaliated with several score attempts of their own, taking advantage of a lull in pressure from the offense, but all were deflected by junior goalkeeper Elise Koo.
Halfway through the first half, M-A’s offense regained control of the game, creating several attacking chances. Finally, sophomore striker Atessa Gholamy rocketed an outside shot past Burlingame’s defense, making the score 2-0 as the clock neared the 30-minute mark.
M-A had two more set-piece opportunities to close the half, which were headed away by Burlingame’s defending line, sending the game into halftime.
Burlingame came out aggressive at the start of the second half, pushing through the field. However, strong defense from the Bears helped stop the Panthers as the game continued.
By the 60-minute mark, junior midfielder Maddie Bradley and junior forward Alexandra Alvarado connected on several passes, ending in multiple attempts just wide of the net.
As the half waned, Burlingame shifted towards last-ditch offensive attacks, which were all expertly stopped by M-A’s midfield, resulting in no substantive offensive opportunities for the Panthers. The game ended in a decisive 2-0 victory for M-A.
“I think we played pretty well,” Jesperson said. “We all passed a lot and worked together really nicely. We tried to play to the outside and push forward, which worked.”
“The last time we played Burlingame, it was honestly like they were outplaying us and passing around us, but this game I feel like we were the better team the whole time, and that shows with the two goals and the win,” Hall said.
The Bears return to the field away against the Woodside Wildcats on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
