The PAL Bay Division women’s football title race just got a whole lot more interesting.
The general consensus was that Division Chief Woodside would simply waltz for the crown. The Wildcats have not been beaten this season and despite some close calls have dominated Bay Division play this season.
“It was there for everyone,” MA head coach Jason Luce said. “I think the tie was right.”
With three games remaining — two games scheduled and a makeup — Woodside holds a three-point lead over Burlingame and Sequoia, who both won on Thursday.
Woodside (6-0-1 PAL Bay, 13-0-1 overall) has had its share of close calls this season: the Wildcats beat MA the first time this season, 3-2, while also getting away with a 2-1 win over Hillsdale. But the Wildcats rose to every challenge and emerged victorious in their first 13 games.
And they did their best to do the same on Thursday night in Redwood City. Woodside scored the Bears goal, beating MA 16-5. Eleven of those shots were on target, but MA keeper Angelina Edwards made sure they all stayed out of the net.
MA definitely took a break when Woodside star Elise Evans, who has scored 10 goals in her last three games, proved she was human after all.
The Bears were determined not to let Evans beat them. Luce tagged Evans bound for Stanford with second defender Anya Perazich – who was on Evans’ shoulder throughout the game no matter where she went.
Evans on offense? Perazich was there, usually with help. Evans falls back into his own penalty area? Perazich was right with her.
“Anya did a hell of a job,” Luce said. “She’s a tenacious defender. Defensively, we stayed calm.
Evans, inevitably, had his chances – golden opportunities, really. In the third minute, Pilar Vanheusden raced through midfield, leaving a pass for a charging Evans down the right flank. Evans’ shot attempt, however, sailed high above the goal. In the 24th minute, Evans picked up a pass from Vanheusden in the middle of the MA penalty area. She pulled the ball down, spun and hammered a pinpoint shot on goal – which was saved by Edwards. In the second half, Siena Bruno sent a perfect cross to the far left post which almost landed on Evans’ foot. But his shot attempt, for the second time, was blown over.
Evans wasn’t the only one. Sofia Bellver Eymann, who provided a number of dangerous runs down the left sideline, was denied a few times.
Just minutes into the second half, Woodside’s Kaitlyn Ryan and MA’s Avery Wales were involved in a scary collision in front of goal as the two converged on an Evans cross. Minutes later, MA’s Edwards parried a shot attempt by Vanheusden, who had intercepted a clearing pass and broken on goal.
“We created chances,” Woodside interim head coach Nacho Navarrete said. “Elise worked hard…but not much space for her.”
MA (1-2-5, 5-5-6), on the other hand, was limited in his offensive chances but, like a boxer with a solid right hand, the Bears had a chance to punch.
Their best opportunities came on the counterattack and Alessia Bolanos nearly gave the Bears a lead just before halftime as she shielded a defender near midfield, spun and swung in on goal.
However, Woodside stopper Angeni Garcia chased her down and cleared the ball for a Bears corner.
In fact, it seemed like whenever the Bears had a promising offense, Garcia was there to thwart it.
“She played very well,” Navarrete said. “They were putting pressure on us and she’s doing a good job of closing it.”
In the dying moments, the Bears came as close to scoring as either team, but Bolanos’ last chance for glory – a rocket from a 20-yard shot – blared off the crossbar.
“I wanted this one. … We would have partied if that one was gone,” Luce said. “This team is one of the best we’ve seen. We played excellent. … We’re fighting for a playoff spot.
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