BOYS SOCCER: Panthers Beat M-A, Alone in First

The Score: Burlingame 2, M-A 1.

The Star: Burlingame High’s quick-strike offense. Menlo-Atherton won the possession battle in the first half but trailed 2-0 at the break because the host Panthers twice traveled the length of the field in a matter of seconds to score in the battle of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division co-leaders on Wednesday afternoon.

The Turning Point: The sequence that culminated in Burlingame’s second goal. First, M-A star forward Edgardo Molina appeared to score on Dimas Ayala’s free kick as he collided with Panthers goalie Kevin Nasre, but the Bears were ruled offsides. Then Burlingame used a long kick to immediately work the ball down the left side, Dean Aliamus fed Victor Prieto inside the box and Prieto punched the ball in for a huge momentum shift and a 2-0 lead.

The Quote: “They beat us last time. Now we’re in the driver’s seat to win league. A lot of what happened on the field, we just wanted revenge. Now we’re alone on top.” – Burlingame sweeper Stewart Farley, whose defensive unit warded off M-A’s late charge to help the Panthers take over sole possession of first place in the PAL Bay.

What’s Next? Burlingame hosts Woodside on Friday at 4 p.m. The Wildcats entered Wednesday in fourth place and visited third-place Carlmont.

The Bottom Line: With three games remaining in the regular season, the PAL Bay title is Burlingame’s to lose. The Panthers (9-1-1 PAL Bay) atoned for their lone league loss in their most important game to date, keeping M-A (8-2-1) off balance until the final 20 minutes even though the Bears had the edge in possession for much of the early going. After playing Woodside on Friday, Burlingame will face struggling teams in Aragon and Terra Nova in the final week – so the Panthers appear to have a very favorable remaining slate. Anything less than an outright championship would be a big disappointment.

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Burlingame 2, Menlo-Atherton 1

At Burlingame

Scoring: B: Gonzalez 5:00, B: Prieto (Aliamus) 39:00, M-A: Molina 60:00.

Records: Menlo-Atherton 10-3-2, 8-2-1. Burlingame 13-3-2, 9-1-1.