The Bears battled the Branham Bruins to a tense 1-1 match on Tuesday night, dominating in possession but struggling to finish in a physically demanding game.
Branham came out aggressively, forcing the Bears deep into their own half of the field within the first few minutes. Sophomore goalkeeper Adeleine Soltys received multiple passes back as the M-A defense worked to clear the pressure, and a pass to senior midfielder Sammy Ruiz briefly opened space before Branham intercepted. Moments later, the Bears kicked the ball out to reset their formation as the Bruins continued to press.
Senior midfielder Alex Alvarado pushed the pace early, dribbling extremely close to Branham’s goal before the ball rolled out of bounds. Feeling the pressure, Branham attempted to clear the ball several times, yet the Bears capitalized on their mistakes, using the gaps in the Bruins’ defense to take chances on goal. Alvarado fired the first on-frame shot of the game at the 31-minute mark, but it was saved by the Branham goalkeeper.
The Bears kept pushing, and after several offensive surges, Branham responded with a long shot that Soltys saved easily. Alvarado countered with another attempt, but Branham pushed back once more. However, their momentum was cut short as sophomore Anika Hansen took a strong defensive hold.
“Our team was connecting really well, we had great possession,” Hansen said. “But sometimes when we were building out, it broke down and we let the other team counter.”
With 21 minutes left in the half, Soltys made her second save of the night. M-A’s offense tried to make a push off of this, but Branham’s goalkeeper answered with a spectacular diving stop at the 19-minute mark to deny the Bears what looked like a sure goal.
The quick back-and-forth pace continued, switching from a Branham shot that barely went over the goal to a throw-in by senior centerback Ella Mohr that landed extremely close to the Bruins’ goal. Despite the great positioning, the Bears still couldn’t capitalize for a goal.
“We did a good job creating chances, we just couldn’t put them away. We’ve been practicing crossing and finishing all week. We got the crossing part right, now we just need to work on the finishing,” senior forward Mae Kunihiro said.
After an offensive push by Branham, Soltys was soon put back to work, saving another Branham attempt. Sophomore striker Cassidy Thomas broke up a Bruins attack with nine minutes remaining. Consecutive offensive attacks by M-A led to three straight throw-ins from the right corner. A foul by Ruiz with five minutes left gave Branham an offensive push, but Soltys was there once again with her fourth save of the half. With three minutes remaining, a quick steal by junior striker Stella Hall shifted the momentum.
After some back and forth, the Bears offense pushed up the field where Hall capitalized, cutting off a Branham pass, dribbling through two defenders, and striking to put the first point up on the board for M-A. This ended the first half 1-0 in favor of the Bears.
Branham opened the second half aggressive and thirsty for a goal, hitting M-A with a dangerous shot, but the Bears were able to quickly regain their footing. At 36 minutes, senior winger Toma Tasovac intercepted a Branham pass, getting a corner kick for Ruiz, but Branham’s goalkeeper punched it away.
Minutes later, Kunihiro was fouled, allowing M-A’s offense to advance, but the Bruins’ goalkeeper continued her dominant performance with back-to-back saves.
M-A held steady defensively as Branham pushed into the Bears’ territory. The Bruins launched another shot that sailed far above the crossbar. The Bears responded with a series of good passes to push them down the field, and Ruiz delivered a near-perfect corner kick that narrowly missed. Mohr followed with a spectacular throw-in, landing deep in Branham’s box. However, the Bruins responded with a fast break, and Soltys came up huge again, smothering a close-range shot attempt.
Now in the Bears’ half, Branham capitalized on an M-A defensive miscommunication, slipping the ball past Soltys to tie the game 1-1. The Bears attempted to answer with several strong offensive pushes, but Branham’s back line held strong, blocking shot after shot. The Bruins’ goalkeeper made a diving save as Ruiz lined up for her third corner of the half. A header attempt missed just wide of the goal.
Tensions grew when freshman outside back Emma Holtz was called for a foul. Minutes later, a strong offensive build-up from M-A ended with yet another Branham save.
Branham stole possession twice in the final minutes, nearly breaking through with a close shot before M-A regained control. With just two minutes remaining, Gholamy was fouled right outside the box, giving M-A one last chance to pull ahead, but Branham cleared the ball into the midfield, closing the game tied 1-1.
“If we cleaned up a couple of those turnovers, it would’ve helped us score more,” Thomas said. “We need to take more shots. This is a team we should have beat, but it’s something we can build on during the season.”
“We’re still learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses. With a little more time, we can play better together once we really know what we can do as a team,” Kunihiro said.
The Bears return to action at home against the Evergreen Valley Cougars on Friday at 4 p.m.
