The Bears emerged victorious against the Hillsdale Knights in their senior night game on Thursday evening. Before the game, the team celebrated its four seniors with posters and a short ceremony.
The Knights started with the ball, but M-A soon gained possession and forced Hillsdale back into their half of the field. The Bears struggled to create chances to score but maintained the majority of possession for the opening ten minutes. Hillsdale pressured the Bears’ defense, pushing into the final third but failing to create any opportunities to score. The Bears quickly regained possession but struggled to create chances from the build-up play.
After a throw-in, the Bears took advantage of Hillsdale’s chaotic defense. Junior midfielder Maddie Bradley turned for a quick opening goal with 28 minutes left in the half.
M-A piled on the offensive pressure after the goal, winning a corner kick just three minutes later to no avail. They continued to create scoring opportunities with two shots on goal that were both stopped by the Hillsdale goalkeeper. Bradley created another chance out wide but didn’t have the angle to score, hitting into the side netting.
When the Knights did get possession, the Bears’ defense prevented them from producing any real chances. The first and only Hillsdale shot of the first half came in the 27th minute and was well wide of goal.
After the attempt, the Bears maintained control and pushed into the final third. Senior forward Alessia Bolanos stole the ball from a Hillsdale defender and took a quick shot. The Hillsdale goalkeeper was unable to stop it, and the Bears went up 2-0 with eight minutes left in the half.
The Bears got one more chance in the last minute of the half. Junior center back June Wagner* drew a foul, giving the Bears a free kick 30 yards out, but M-A was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. M-A went into halftime up 2-0.
The Bears started the second half maintaining possession despite back-to-back throw-ins and heavy rain. Bradley shot for the goal three minutes in, but the ball went just high of the crossbar.
Back in possession, Hillsdale quickly drove the ball across the field, pressuring M-A’s defense. Despite a strong defensive effort from senior center back Addy McCombs, the ball slipped into the net, putting the Knights’ first point onto the scoreboard with 33 minutes left in the half.
M-A recovered quickly, with Bolanos attempting a goal just a minute later that ended up just wide. The Knights’ offense looked stronger in the second half, but they made few meaningful shots on goal.
A free kick by senior outside back Brooke Fehrenbach allowed sophomore striker Stella Hall to score, giving M-A a comfortable 3-1 lead with 22 minutes left in the game.
The Bears continued to get into the final third and aim for the goal, with an attempted shot by Bolanos barely grazing the outside of the net at 17 minutes. When Hillsdale regained possession a controversial foul call gave them their first freekick. The Knights shot well over the crossbar, leaving the Bears untested on set-pieces.
With ten minutes left, Hillsdale broke into the final third and earned a corner. The Bears easily cleared the attempt and transitioned into offense. The promising run led to a Hillsdale foul inside the box, giving M-A a penalty with eight minutes left in the half. Senior outside back Nicole Nieva’s penalty was on frame but was stopped by Hillsdale’s goalkeeper. The Bears were relentless, getting another shot on frame and ultimately settling for a corner.
In the last few minutes, Hillsdale ramped up offensive pressure but failed to create opportunities in the face of the Bears’ defense. The game ended with M-A up 3-1, guaranteeing them at least second place in the league.
“It was a tough game, but everyone showed out and tried their best,” junior outside back Sam Shirley said.
“Honestly, our game plan was to get all of the seniors to score because it was senior night, and we just wanted to have a fun night. We wanted to see all the seniors have fun,” junior midfielder Mae Kunihiro said. “They’re the heart of our team, so it’s pretty sad to see them leave.”
“Honestly, the seniors are some of the best players I know. I’m going to miss playing with them every day,” Shirley said.
“I’ve been on the team since my freshman year, so it means the world to me. The thing I’m going to miss the most is all of the players and definitely the coach. The environment that they create is so welcoming and nice to be in,” Fehrenbach said.
The Bears will return to the field this Saturday for the CCS Championship.
*June Wagner is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
