The Bears lost 2-1 to the Burlingame Panthers on Thursday evening, after battling hard to the end.
The Panthers started with possession and pushed onto M-A’s half of the field, where the ball remained for the first few minutes. The Bears’ defense was on point from the beginning and repelled any Burlingame attacks.
Four minutes into the game, the defense recovered the ball from a Panther shot on goal and sent it upfield. Through multiple clean passes, the Bears delivered the ball to sophomore striker Cassidy Thomas, who drove down the right side and fired a shot. Unfortunately, the Panthers’ goalkeeper blocked it, and Burlingame resumed its offensive.
The Bears continued to display their defensive superiority, fending off relentless attacks. Sophomore goalkeeper Adeleine Soltys shined in the goal, catching and deflecting shots that slipped past the back line.
“I think we started off really strong,” junior striker Stella Hall said.
Junior defender Juliana Pandolfo was dominant and seemingly everywhere on defense, intercepting multiple pass attempts and delivering the ball to the midfield.
With around fifteen minutes left in the half, the Bears generated a powerful offensive push culminating in several shot attempts. M-A’s positioning in the midfield allowed the Bears to continuously recover the ball. This made way for Thomas to break through the Burlingame defense and rocket the ball towards the goal, forcing the Panthers’ goalkeeper to run out to deflect the shot.
“We just need to finish our chances,” senior center back June Wagner said.
Thirty minutes into the game, the Panthers took possession of the ball and entered the Bears’ half. However, M-A successfully foiled them from converting the momentum into a single goal. Soltys defended the onslaught of shots, blocking several back-to-back Burlingame attempts. The rest of the defense also remained impenetrable, largely due to their excellent positioning and hustle on the back line.
“I think the team should improve on communication, definitely, and all just being on the same page,” senior midfielder Sammy Ruiz said.
The stalemate continued for the rest of the half, and the game went into halftime tied 0-0.
The Bears came out of halftime starting with the ball and playing aggressively. The Panthers were getting tired, and both teams fought for control in the center.
M-A kept up the energy, attacking the ball and showcasing the team’s bottomless reserves of stamina. A little more than thirteen minutes into the second half, Burlingame pushed into the Bears’ territory and shot, but Soltys dove to block it and propelled it back upfield.
Hall was especially potent on offense, making connections and supporting M-A’s momentum. The Bears took advantage of Burlingame’s disconnected midfield, taking more shots and pressuring the goal.
With around a quarter left in the game, Ruiz fought through the Panther defense and launched the ball towards the goal. The shot flew high above the goalkeeper and found its way to the back of the net, prompting an uproar of cheers from M-A’s bench and bringing the score to 1-0.
“As a team, we stayed in together, and we got that first goal together thanks to our teamwork,” Ruiz said.
The Panthers came back more determined and aggressive than ever. The Bears’ defense met them head on, stealing and clearing the ball. However, with twelve minutes left in the game, Burlingame scored on a ground shot to tie it up 1-1.
The competition got heated as both teams struggled for control in the midfield. Possession repeatedly flipped, and neither M-A nor Burlingame managed to break through the other’s defense.
With three minutes left in the game, the Panthers fought past the M-A defense and scored, taking a 2-1 lead.
The Bears refused to give up and grappled for another goal, but failed to score again. The final score was 2-1, a loss for M-A.
“I think we tried our best, and I think it’s just difficult. It’s our first league game, and we have a really young team,” Wagner said.
Hall looked forward to the team’s future. “I’m excited to keep building as a team, because we have a really strong foundation, and a lot of the younger players are super talented,” she said. “I’m excited to keep developing our team chemistry.”
The Bears will confront the Santa Clara Bruins away on Friday at 6 p.m.
