Sports
BOYS SOCCER: M-A Loses Battle for First
Disjointed Bears fall out out PAL Bay Division lead with 2-1 loss at Burlingame; Pickard disappointed with team's lack of execution in critical league game.
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.
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The Quote: “This is the type of thing that can really mess up a team’s season. This is just the thing we did not want to have happen tonight. Everything went out the window.” – M-A coach Jacob Pickard, disappointed in a disjointed effort that resulted in a costly loss.
What’s Next? M-A hosts Terra Nova on Friday at 4 p.m.
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The Bottom Line: M-A (8-2-1 PAL Bay) lost a grand opportunity to take control of the PAL Bay. With three games remaining in the regular season, the league title is now Burlingame’s to lose. In their most important game to date, the Bears failed to rise to the occasion against an opponent they had previously beaten. M-A allowed a goal in the first five minutes, couldn’t convert any of its five first-half corner kicks and didn’t find its rhythm until Molina scored in the 60th minute. Now trailing Burlingame (9-1-1) by three points, second-place M-A’s hopes of even gaining a share of the Bay championship seem unlikely – as Burlingame’s remaining slate appears very favorable. The Bears’ best hope is that Woodside knocks off the Panthers on Friday.
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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 PAL Bay. Burlingame 13-3-2, 9-1-1.
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