GIRLS SOCCER: Panthers Replenishing Again

The Score: Burlingame 1, San Mateo 1.

The Star: Burlingame High right midfielder Lena Mendelson has been an unheralded weapon despite consistently serving well-placed corner kicks as a two-year starter. On the Panthers’ first corner, the sophomore lofted a ball to the far post that Claire Mulligan knocked in to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 28^th minute in a battle of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division contenders.

The Turning Point: A disallowed San Mateo goal off Katelyn Turtletaub’s 30-yard free kick in the 32^nd minute that appeared to tie the game. An assistant referee signaled that the Bearcats had scored as diving Burlingame goalie Leila Torres couldn’t quite stop the ball in time, but the head referee overturned the call. Had the original ruling stood, the Panthers may well have been handed their first PAL Bay defeat.

The Quote: "It was a really awkward shot. It ended up coming off my thighs.” – Burlingame senior left midfielder Claire Mulligan, describing how she scored against San Mateo.

What's Next? Burlingame (6-2-2, 3-0-2 PAL Bay) hosts Carlmont on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Scots lost 1-0 at Aragon on Tuesday to fall to 3-2 in league games.

The Bottom Line: The Panthers warded off a spirited challenge from upstart San Mateo to earn a draw and maintain their hold on second place in the PAL Bay. But both Burlingame and the third-place Bearcats fell further behind league-leading Woodside, a 4-0 winner over visiting Hillsdale. The Panthers’ defense looked shaky early and the visitors eventually allowed their first goal of the league season. But Burlingame’s superior possession helped generate at least as many true threats as the Bearcats had. A tie seemed the appropriate result.

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Perhaps the biggest reason for the sustained success of the Burlingame High girls soccer program has been that the Panthers have featured teams with talent spread throughout the classes.

The youngsters enter the program and serve complementary roles at the outset while being mentored by the stalwart juniors and seniors. Those star upperclassmen eventually move on – to collegiate programs the past few years – but each year, the younger players take on greater responsibility and in turn start to mentor the next group of newcomers.

That cycle – and the presence of an elite player or three in each class – has resulted in an impressive run among the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division’s elite. Burlingame has finished either first or second in the league in five of the last six seasons, and the Panthers claimed back-to-back Central Coast Section titles in 2008 and 2009.

So it’s no surprise to see Burlingame back in the thick of the PAL Bay race approaching the league season’s midpoint – and it’s no surprise to see the fountain of youth again replenishing the Panther program.

Burlingame – which sits in second place behind defending champion Woodside – counts 10 freshmen or sophomores on its roster of 17.

Sophomore right midfielder Lena Mendelson, who started as a freshman and quickly showcased the ability to serve top-level corner kicks, smiled when asked about the youthful Panthers.

“I’m not even young on this team because everyone else is young, too,” Mendelson said. “That’s probably our biggest disadvantage. We’ve got a big mass of new players. We’ve had to push players to play up to the seniors’ level, which has been tough.”

After graduating two defenders last year who were critical to the CCS championship teams in Sarah Fraser and Cassie Root, Burlingame (6-2-2, 3-0-2 PAL Bay) has shuffled in freshman Rachel Byrd at fullback and sophomore Kendall Jory at stopper to join returning starters Adrienne Mulligan and Abby Hohenschuh.

Like Jory, sophomore Savannah McCann spent most of last season watching the varsity games from the bench. But now McCann has stepped into a featured role alongside standout senior Allison Daley in center midfield – forming a duo that is very difficult to knock off the ball. In a 1-1 draw at third-place San Mateo on Tuesday, McCann took the free kicks, a sign she is gaining coach Phillip De Rosa’s confidence.

Whether the revamped Panthers can make a run at Woodside and the PAL Bay title figures to come down to scoring production. Burlingame has graduated an elite goal scorer each of the last three years (Adrianna Ortiz, Jenny Haggarty and most recently Taylor McCann). Senior playmaker Antonella Carrera delivered on the CCS stage last spring, but the other returning offensive starters have played more of the facilitator role – Daley, Mendelson and senior left midfielder Claire Mulligan.

Burlingame has long excelled at set-piece production – and sure enough the Panthers scored on their first corner kick against San Mateo (5-2-2, 3-1-1). Mendelson calmly lofted a ball toward the far post in the 28^th minute and Claire Mulligan punched it in for a 1-0 lead.

“Lena has some amazing corners,” Mulligan said.

But the Panthers were disappointed to fall short of several prime scoring chances in the run of play. The visitors had three wide-open looks in the first 10 minutes of the second half and failed to get a shot on frame. And they couldn’t muster their finishing touch despite a handful of fine opportunities after San Mateo’s Katelyn Turtletaub tied the game by punching in a Shannon Wischer cross in the 53^rd minute – the first goal Burlingame allowed in five league games.

“There are some growing pains, and we’re going through it. It’s a work in progress. We need to finish it better than that,” De Rosa said. “I saw that net wide open five times. Glaring, glaring opportunities.”

Added Mendelson: “When we play our best and we’re on, I think we can do well against any team. We didn’t do our best today. For sure.”

It’s too early to accurately assess the program’s latest revitalization. The Panthers’ visit to Woodside on Jan. 25 will be a good gauge, as will the second half of the PAL Bay season.

But the pieces are starting to come together. Again.

“We’re at a confident place right now,” Claire Mulligan said.

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Burlingame 1, San Mateo 1

At San Mateo

Scoring: B: C. Mulligan (Mendelson) 28:00, SM: Turtletaub (Wischer) 53:00.

Records: Burlingame 6-2-2, 3-0-2 PAL Bay. San Mateo 5-2-2, 3-1-1.