Burlingame downs Tigers

The smiles quickly turned to frowns — if only for a second. There's a reason the Panthers (3-0) seem to play so well early in the season — they're extremely well-conditioned and fit. De Rosa, who teaches a conditioning class at school that emphasizes plyometrics, strength training and speed skills, puts a premium on health, fitness and stamina.

That was plenty evident against the Tigers, who stayed with Burlingame step-for-step in the first half before being put on the defensive for much of the last 35 minutes due to Burlingame's supreme fitness. After seeing a couple of golden scoring chances barely miss, Burlingame finally found the net in the 50th minute. A wild flurry of shots at the Terra Nova goal put the Panthers in prime position to score.

Kristi Morales delivered a nice feed to Danielle Bakhtiari, who was stationed inside the right edge of the penalty box. Bakhtiari then booted a shot under the Terra Nova goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead. It was sweet redemption for the Burlingame freshman, who drilled a shot only to see it hit off the top crossbar in the 10th minute. In the 56th minute, Amanda Goll pounced on a loose ball 15-yards in front of the goal, spun around a defender and booted a laser up high just under the top crossbar.

"Amanda Goll is a four-year varsity player and has been the glue to this team," De Rosa said. "She knows how to take charge and is probably the most assertive captain I've ever had. She is a physical player and can be intimidating to the opponents. She runs a tight ship and all the girls respect her."

Burlingame had 11 shots on goal to the Tigers' 3. Hard-charging forward Kelli Howe led the team with four shots on goal, and Kristi Morales produced a number of solid scoring chances. Siobhan Brosnan, Eva Maier and Michelle Bennett spearheaded a Panthers' defense that allowed just one shot on goal in the second half. De Rosa raved about goalkeeper Amanda Zelnik, who is filling in for the injured Marie Torres. Burlingame's superior talent and speed produced a number of one-touch passes that led to multiple scoring opportunities.

"I told the girls if you have a chance to score, you have to capitalize — and they did," De Rosa said. "They were a little tentative in the beginning before they got aggressive and kept hammering the goal. This team has phenomenal chemistry. They truly love each other and it shows in their play. They're very supportive of one another and that's going to be one of the keys for us this season. That's also a reason why it's an absolutely joy to coach them."

The Panthers only win in their own tournament came two years ago when they defeated powerhouse Notre Dame-Belmont in a thriller. They continue their quest for a second Thanksgiving Invitational championship on Friday at 11:30 a.m. against Woodside in the final round of pool play.