The girls soccer team fell 4-1 to the Salinas Cowboys on Wednesday evening after a strong first half gave way to a difficult stretch late in the CCS semifinal.
The Bears started the match with possession and quickly worked the ball through the midfield. A Salinas handball led to a free kick from senior captain Sammy Ruiz, though the Cowboys were able to clear the ball down the sideline. Just two minutes in, senior defender Ella Mohr launched a long throw into the box, where the ball was headed down and then volleyed into the goal by sophomore forward Cassidy Thomas, giving the Bears an early 1-0 lead.
Following the goal, M-A continued to press, controlling possession in the Cowboys’ half and confidently stringing passes together through the midfield. Salinas responded with several wide shots and dangerous crosses, but the Bears’ back line repeatedly stepped up to clear the ball.
The Cowboys’ best opportunity of the half came on a powerful shot that required a spectacular one-handed save from sophomore goalkeeper Adeleine Soltys, who tipped the ball over the crossbar. Soltys remained sharp throughout the half, stepping up to collect important crosses and making key saves as the Cowboys mounted the pressure.
Thomas and senior forward Alexandra Alvarado both came close to extending the Bears’ lead with quick runs down the side and powerful shots, but M-A was unable to capitalize. The Bears ended the first half with a 1-0 lead.
“We all had a lot of energy and high spirits, and I think that we all played for each other really well,” senior defender June Wagner said.
The Cowboys entered the second half with renewed strength, increasing the pressure and forcing M-A into a series of long clearances. While the Bears continued to battle defensively, they struggled to settle the ball and build organized attacks.
Salinas found the equalizer midway through the half on a run down the sideline, drawing Soltys out of goal to attempt to block the shot, but ultimately finishing from a tight angle to tie the game at 1-1 and swing momentum in their favor. From there, the Cowboys kept up the pressure, and the Bears were forced to defend deep in their own half.
A cross into the box led to Salinas’ second goal with only 11 minutes left in the game, followed by another goal off a loose ball just two minutes later to make it 3-1.
“I think especially towards the end of the game, we were just not the best on their counter-attacks, I think since we just got pretty tired and they also had a lot of momentum,” senior midfielder Elise Koo said.
The game took another difficult turn when Soltys received a red card for an accidental save outside of the box, forcing the Bears to play down a player and Koo to step into goal. Salinas capitalized on the resulting free kick at the top of the box, slipping a shot through the wall and into the net to extend the Cowboys’ lead to 4-1.
“The game was really disappointing because we were up so early on and I really feel like it was an achievable game,” Wagner said.
“We didn’t back down and I think that really showed in the way that we played until the final whistle,” sophomore forward Cassidy Thomas said.
“I’m just proud of how close our team has become and how far we went even though we had a really rough start at the beginning of the season,” Koo said.
Despite the scoreboard, M-A continued to fight in the final minutes, with strong saves from Koo and an attempt down the line by Ruiz. The final whistle sealed the 4-1 loss, ending the Bears’ season after a hard-fought playoff run.
