The girls lacrosse team was defeated by the Burlingame Panthers 10-6 in a tight match on Wednesday evening.
Despite pressure from the Panthers early into the game, senior captain and midfielder Ruby Pence quickly netted a shot in the bottom left corner. Soon after, the Panthers were awarded a free shot following a foul on the Bears. Fortunately for the Bears, sophomore goalkeeper Stella Mattsson’s stellar save ricocheted the Panther’s shot away from the goal.
Just minutes later, Mattsson stopped the Panthers from scoring off of a fast break, allowing senior attacker Lexi Nelson to charge down and wrap around the goal to sink a shot into the net. The Panthers reciprocated with a steal and foul against M-A two minutes later, giving them an easy 8-meter shot, bringing the score to 2-1.
Despite heavy pressure from the Bears, they were unable to follow through with their shots on offense, leading to two missed 8-meter attempts and another shot on M-A’s goal, which was briskly caught by Mattsson.
However, the Panthers were able to sneak a shot in with less than 30 seconds left in the quarter, ending in a 2-2 tie.
The second quarter began with intense battles between the teams. The Bears struggled to snatch the ball in the draws and the Panthers’ aggressive approach made it difficult to maintain possession. Junior attacker Bailee van Loben Sels and Nelson’s swift passes gave the Bears multiple opportunities to score, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.
With 3:10 left in the half, the Panthers went on a scoring spree, netting three consecutive goals from shots swung around the back of the goal. The Bears were down 5-2 going into the second half.
The Bears rolled into the second half with newfound determination, yet the Panthers matched and upstaged their drive. Burlingame won the first draw and scored after a long offensive battle with the Bears, increasing their lead to 6-3 less than two minutes in.
Energy from junior captain and midfielder Auden Jones and Pence helped overcome the team’s ceasefire. Pence sank an 8-meter shot in the ninth minute and easily won the preceding draw as the Panthers watched M-A increase their pace.
Nelson’s netted 8-meter paired strong shot attempts from freshman attacker Aryn Roodman and junior attacker Ellie Dillon set the tone for the last few minutes of the quarter and offered the Bears hope of catching up.
The team increased their 7-5 trail as Jones buried the third 8-meter of the night before the quarter ended.
The Panthers entered the final quarter desperate to maintain their lead. The Bears were fouled on multiple calls, allowing the Panthers to easily score two 8-meter shots on top of a wide goal. Mattson’s saves were not enough to give the Bears time to catch up, as the team found themselves falling behind 10-5 with three minutes to go.
Despite another goal from the Bears, the Panthers sealed their win and the game ended with a 10-6 loss for M-A.
“I think it was great that we were talking and enthusiastic, but I think we need to practice our ‘43’ play a bit more,” junior attacker Sophia Cole said.
“The energy was there, we have the spirit, and we have the ‘want,’” junior defender Shelby Rider said. “On defense, though, I think we could have slid over a bit more to help our players but we’ll come back.”
The Bears will travel to Sequoia High School on Friday to battle against the Ravens at 7 p.m.
