The Bears lost 19-11 against the Serra Padres in a closely contested CCS semifinal game on Thursday evening.
The Bears opened the game with great energy, setting the tone as junior attack Navid Riahi nailed the first goal of the game to give M-A an early spark. Despite the good start, the Padres retaliated quickly and evened the score. A brief 20 seconds later, Riahi bounced back and placed the ball in the back of the net, putting the Bears ahead once again at 2-1 just 2 minutes into the game.
Staying relentless, the Padres kept their pressure on the Bears with another goal to even the score once again. M-A’s momentum continued on regardless, with senior driver Jack Bullard and junior driver Kanoa Lee racking in two more points for the Bears. The Padres weren’t done though, slipping past M-A’s defense to score three goals in quick succession, 4-5.
As the clock wound down, the Bears continued to fight hard, but still found themselves trailing 5-4 by the end of the first quarter, setting the mood for an intense battle for the rest of the game.
The second quarter kicked off with fierce back-and-forth play, but M-A quickly fell under the Padres’ heavy defensive pressure. Within the first couple of minutes, numerous shot attempts from the Bears were denied, meanwhile, Serra still found offensive success to bring the score to 6-5. In retaliation, senior attack Evan ten Vaanholt sank another goal just two minutes later, but was followed by a string of swift Serra shots.
Junior goalkeeper Michael Poirier made multiple impressive blocks to prevent many Padre shot attempts from finding the cage. As Serra’s lead climbed to 8-6 with just 2:04 left in the half, the Bears pushed defensively to halt the Padres’ dominant offense. Even so, the Bears conceded two more goals from Serra counterattacks. The half finished out 10-6 with M-A eager to bring back their intensity.
The third quarter opened with Serra still roaring, striking twice in quick succession to increase the Bears’ deficit, 12-6. M-A refused to back down, and Lee slipped another one right past the Padre goalkeeper, cutting the deficit and giving the Bears a glimpse of hope. Just moments later, the Bears got another on the board with a fast, powerful shot by ten Vaanholt. The gap continued to widen, setting the stage for a tense quarter.
Serra responded immediately, regaining control with a goal placed perfectly in the top right corner. But the Bears didn’t let up, and clawed out another two impressive goals by Bullard and Riahi. Serra’s relentless offence continued, as they scored once again to expand their lead to 15-10 , leaving M-A with just one last quarter to recover.
The final quarter started with Serra in possession after freshman driver Chase Wescott fell just short of winning the sprint. M-A fell in a bit of a drag as the Padres rattled out two more goals in the first couple of minutes. Moments later, an impressive skip shot from Lee landed in the cage, setting the score at 17-11 with just under six minutes to go.
Hasty shot attempts from Riahi and ten Vaanholt went straight into the Padre goalkeeper’s arms, yet M-A didn’t let up, calling a timeout to reconvene. In spite of a close counter from Wescott and another fierce set shot from Riahi, the game entered a bit of a stalemate for the succeeding two minutes.
The Padres capped off two more sneaky goals before deciding to hold the ball until the clock rang out. The game ended with the Bears losing 19-11.
This loss concludes the Bears’ season, securing their overall 16-9 record and 10-2 league record. The Bears finished out with a league championship and a season overflowing with successful games.
