The boys soccer team was defeated 3-1 by the Westmont Warriors on Saturday night’s Division I quarterfinal match, eliminating them from the CCS playoffs in a heartbreaking loss.
Coming into the match, the fourth-seeded Bears were undefeated. M-A boasted a 15-0-4 record and were PAL Bay Division Champions.
The fifth-seeded Warriors began with possession and pushed deep into the Bears’ territory within the first minute of the game. However, a save from the Bears’ defense forced a corner for the Warriors.
With 38 minutes left in the first half, the Warriors put the first points on the board with a goal from the penalty box off the corner, surprising the Bears.
The goal prompted the Bears to snap into focus, ramping up their energy on both offense and defense. Senior forward Nathan Thurlow had a strong presence throughout the game, putting consistent pressure on the Warriors.
Eventually, the aggressiveness from both teams led to penalties, and with 31 minutes left in the first half, the Warriors received their first yellow card, giving the Bears a boost of momentum.
Two minutes later, senior defender Adrian Stadelmann took advantage of a corner, scoring off the shot, and leveling the game 1-1 with 29 minutes left in the half.
After the Bears scored, Westmont seemed to have regained motivation, once again consistently attacking the Bears’ goal. This time, however, the Bears were ready, and strong defense from Stadelmann, senior defender Noah de Haaff, and sophomore goalkeeper Torry Franz, stopped the Warriors in their tracks.
A Warrior attacker was eventually able to get past Franz to take a shot at the goal, but Stadelmann made an impressive save at the edge. Both defenses held for the remainder of the half, holding the score 1-1 at halftime.
As the second half began, both teams remained aggressive, with fouls from both sides.
With 34 minutes left in the second half, the Warriors were able to push their attack into the penalty box and look to score. Fortunately for the Bears, Stadelmann was able to block the shot. During this play, the Bears seemed to notice a handball on a Warrior attacker which the referees did not call, leading to outrage from the Bears’ stands and bench.
M-A’s assistant coach was given a yellow card for contesting the missed call with the referees.
A few minutes later, senior position Lucas Selvik also received a yellow card for committing a penalty.
Both teams got close to scoring as the half progressed, but strong defense blocked every attempt, ending the second half with the teams broken even, 1-1.
Per CCS rules, the match moved into two mandatory 10-minute overtime periods. The Warriors began with the ball for the first period, echoing their strong start to regular time.
As both sides began to tire, the Warriors took advantage of a fast break and scored again, taking the lead with seven minutes left in the period.
The Warriors’ goal seemed to ignite a fire in the Bears, putting constant pressure on the Warriors. But, the Warriors’ defense also stepped up their game, not allowing the Bears to score despite their best attempts, ending the period 2-1.
Starting the second overtime period with possession, M-A had one last chance at winning the match. De Haaff launched a deep pass to Thurlow who drove down the field through Westmont defenders, but his shot was just wide of the goal.
With two minutes left in the match, the Bears launched a last-ditch effort to tie the game, but the Warriors were able to clear the ball away before they could shoot the ball. The Warriors took even further advantage of this, breaking away on another fast break and scoring with seconds left in the match, ending it 3-1.
“We’ve been on the other side a lot, in close games that are 50-50, we just got unlucky today,” Thurlow said.
The Bears finished their impressive season with an overall record of 15-1-4, making this game their first loss.
“I came into this game hoping I’d have at least another game, I don’t think it’s hit me yet, but I really enjoy high school soccer and the fun that I have with all my teammates,” Thurlow said.
