Burlingame girls' soccer eliminated

“I was surprised and disappointed with our defensive breakdowns,” DeRosa said. “Being so solid all year (defensively) … sometimes you have no answers for it.”

Mountain View (18-1-2) wasted little time, finding the back of the net in the fourth minute and it went downhill from there for Burlingame (12-3-6). It was 2-0 after eight minutes, 3-0 after 10, 4-0 at the 19-minute mark and 5-0 at halftime as the Spartans scored five goals in the opening 24 minutes.

“We came out really fast,” Bandov said. “The last three games of the season, we struggled a little. I told (my team) that first goal would be important.”

The Spartans dominated possession and had all kinds of time and space as the Panthers’ midfielders dropped way back, allowing Mountain View to pick and choose its attacks.

“I thought they would play defensive, but I didn’t expect their midfield to sag like that,” Bandov said.

Mountain View’s first goal proved to be an omen for Burlingame. Maru Lasala made a run to the end line before sending a cross to the front of the Panthers’ goal. First, a Burlingame defender fanned on a clearance attempt. Then, the ball bounced over the goalkeeper’s head and Mountain View’s Allie Montoya merely needed to poke the ball into the empty net for a 1-0 lead.

Montoya, a freshman who has already orally committed to Stanford, would go on to finish with a pair of goals. Her second strike in the 67th minute was legit, as she hammered a shot to the short side of the goal. Burlingame goalkeeper Sophia Young got her hands to it, but the strength of the shot proved her efforts fruitless.

Despite the onslaught of goals, Young managed to come up with 10 saves, including a diving stop in the 53rd minute and knocked away another Spartans chance in the 59th.

The Burlingame defense was in scramble mode most of the first half as Mountain View seemed to have clear, unmarked looks at the goal for all 40 minutes. Isabella Walker was unmarked on the far left post when her goal made it 2-0. Sydney Arrillaga then buried a shot from 30 yards out for a 3-0 advantage and Claire Pare scored as she was also uncovered at the left post. In the 24th minute, Lasala won a 50-50 challenge with a Burlingame defender at the top of the box before driving through her and depositing a shot in the right corner for a 5-0 halftime lead.

Offensively, the Panthers could not muster much in the opening 40 minutes, with the highlight being a long run down the left flank by Allison Bottarini late in the half.

Burlingame played much better in the second half. The defense played with more authority and the Panthers had a couple of quality chances sail just high. Ironically, it was the Panthers’ two outside fullbacks who had the best scoring opportunities. Ella Macko’s free kick from 24 yards out banged off the crossbar in the 47th minute, while Sofie Rodriguez’s free kick from 31 yards away drifted just wide right in the 50th minute.

“If we played the first half like the second half, that was more of the game,” DeRosa said.

Even Bandov conceded that the game did not develop the way he thought it would.

“I don’t think 6-nil is indicative of their team,” Bandov said. “I have a lot of respect for Phil and what he does with his team.”