From the sports archives: Menlo-Atherton and Woodside boys' soccer game end in draw

So not only were emotions already high when Woodside traveled to rival Menlo-Atherton, but it matched the top two teams in the PAL’s Bay Division.

Both teams experienced the highs and lows that come with a fiercely competitive match and, when the final whistle blew, both were satisfied with the outcome: A 2-2 draw.

“It was a roller-coaster type game,” said M-A coach Jacob Pickard. “I think a draw is a fair result.”

Woodside came into the match unbeaten in league play and three points clear of second-place M-A. The Wildcats still have not lost in league, but the Bears inched closer, closing the gap with Woodside to just two points.

“We’re still top position,” said Woodside coach Darrell Ringman.

Early on, it appeared M-A (4-1-2 PAL Bay) would pull even in the standings. Off the opening kickoff, a long ball was sent over the Woodside defense. Elvis Abarca split two defenders to run onto the ball and, as he entered the penalty box, he was taken down, earning a penalty kick. Jorge Lopez stepped up and calmly placed his shot into the right corner of the net for a 1-0 Bears lead just one minute into the first half.

“For a competitive soccer team, it can take the winds out of your sails giving up a penalty kick less than five minutes into the game,” Ringman said. “Give my team credit. They had the wherewithal to keep pushing, keep pushing.”

The Bears’ chances took a big hit, however, when Abarca went to the sidelines late in the first half with what Pickard feared is a serious knee injury.

Pickard said the loss from the injury was more than just losing what Abarca can do with the ball at his feet. He said as a senior, Abarca brings a calming presence to Pickard’s young squad.

“Players like him are critical,” Pickard said.

Lopez especially missed Abarca, whose pinpoint passes to the flank allowed Lopez to use his speed to beat the defense. Without Abarca, Lopez disappeared for much of the second half.

M-A made that goal stand up until halftime, but Woodside (5-0-2, 9-2-3) wasted little time in tying things up early in the second half. Four minutes into the second stanza, the Wildcats earned a free kick just outside the M-A penalty box. Kevin Amaya chipped a ball into the Bears’ penalty box, where it found the head of Eduardo Guerrero, who nodded it home to tie the game at 1.

Six minutes later, Woodside had the lead. Again off a set piece, a free kick from about 21 yards, defender Salvador Herrera stepped up and bent his shot around the wall and into the upper right corner for a cracker of a goal.

“This team has a lot of heart,” Ringman said, adding it was the first time in league play his team has trailed.

From that point on, Woodside dominated possession, as the Bears struggled to find any rhythm offensively.

“It looked hopeless at times in the second half,” Pickard said.

Over the final 10 minutes, however, M-A started to find its form and began to apply pressure on the Woodside goal. The Bears had a couple of deflections in front of the goal saved, before Lopez came to the rescue in the final minutes.

M-A earned a free kick about 25 yards out near the left sideline in the 78th minute. Lopez proceeded to swerve a ball into the Woodside penalty box that found the upper right-hand corner of the goal for an unbelievable equalizer.

Pickard credited Lopez’s tenacity for helping the Bears earn the draw.

“He does the things other kid’s won’t do,” Pickard said.