Despite putting up a strong fight, the Bears lost 4-1 against the Sacred Heart Gators on Saturday morning.
The game kicked off with Sacred Heart in possession of the ball, advancing towards the Bears’ goal before senior midfielder Mae Kunihiro stepped in and pushed the Gators back. Senior winger Toma Tasovac advanced the ball downfield, helping M-A build momentum throughout the first half.
“I think we just needed to be able to hit our diagonal long balls. I feel like a lot of times our outside backs or our wings were on the weaker side, so [the wings] were always open,” senior winger Elise Koo said.
Within the first five minutes of the game, Kunihiro shot the ball into the top corner of the opponent’s goal, but the Gators’ goalkeeper was unfortunately able to intercept the shot attempt.
M-A maintained possession throughout the first half, utilizing strong communication, precise passes, and their seemingly infinite stamina. When on offense, the Bears were able to switch the field, getting the ball towards the Gators’ goal.
The Gators’ skillful footwork and unyielding defense were evident, and after gaining the ball back, they weaved through M-A defenders to nail in a goal thirty minutes into the game, giving them a 1-0 lead. However, the Bears stayed intense, pushing their way through for multiple good shot attempts, but were still unable to score.
“I think that we need to improve our attacking and finishing our opportunities. This upcoming week, when we have more games, I think we can implement that, especially in practice,” freshman outside back Emma Holt said.
Senior midfielder Alex Alvarado remained steadfast, dominating two of the Gators’ feistiest offensive players by pushing them towards the sidelines and hindering their ability to pass to their strikers.
After gaining control of the ball, Kunihiro pushed her way through three of Sacred Heart’s defenders and nailed the ball at the goal, overshooting but generating a roaring response from the audience.
Shortly after, freshman outside back Grace Wagner, on a throw-in, launched the ball toward the goal, but the Gators’ goalkeeper kicked the ball out before sophomore striker Cassidy Thomas could get a shot off.
Wagner was content with the Bears’ gameplay. “Our team is very good at getting the ball up the field, but we just need to finish our shots and watch balls that go over [the goal] and keep an eye out for counterattacks,” she said.
The Gators were aggressive, frequently diving and stumbling to generate fouls against M-A. However, this also gave way to many sloppy passes, resulting in numerous throw-ins for the Bears.
Two minutes before halftime, the Gators scored their second goal, 2-0, a result of their impressive footwork mixed with some gaps in M-A’s defense.
The second half of the game was more placid, with the Bears maintaining composure despite the Gators’ 2-0 lead. Koo put up a strong fight with quick runs down the sideline and finding openings to connect with Alvarado. Ten minutes into the second half, Alvarado assisted Thomas, who was able to outrun opponents before the Gators’ goalkeeper intercepted the ball.
While Sacred Heart maintained possession of the ball for a good portion of the game, the Bears were able to get many shots on goal. With just over thirty minutes left in the second half, senior midfielder Sammy Ruiz took an impressive shot, but her kick was too strong and overshot the goal post.
Shortly after, the Gators scored their third goal with twenty minutes left in the second half, intercepting a midfield pass and outrunning the Bears’ defense to get a close shot.
M-A didn’t lose stamina. As Kunihiro launched the ball down the field, she buried a shot into the Gators’ open goal to bring the score to 3-1 with ten minutes left in the half.
Almost immediately after, Sacred Heart bagged their fourth goal with minutes left in the game. As sophomore goalkeeper Adeline Soltys left the box, Sacred Heart’s striker dashed towards the corner mark and launched the ball soaring into the top right corner of the goal—a difficult maneuver.
“We lost but we didn’t give up, and we played our hardest,” Thomas said.
The match ended 4-1 in favor of the Gators, but spirits remained high as the girls laughed and embraced each other after the game.
The Bears will face the Branham Bruins at home on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
