M-A, Woodside polo put on a show

That argument was further buoyed by Tuesday’s matches in Woodside to close out the first half of the Bay Division season for both programs.

The girls’ game set the bar pretty high, with the game tied at 5-all going into the fourth period before M-A scored three times in the final seven minutes to take the Bay Division lead following an 8-6 Bears’ victory.

“Whenever we play Woodside, they’re always playing their best game,” said M-A girls’ head coach Lauren Lesyna. “They always come to play.”

That easily could have been the match of the day — until the boys’ teams took to the pool and took the level of competition up a step. M-A, which trailed 4-2 at halftime, scored six unanswered goals in the second half to take an 8-4 lead with 6:03 left to play.

But Woodside came storming back, scoring four times over the final 5:48 to force overtime. Both teams scored in the first of two, mandatory overtime periods, before the Bears pulled out the win with a goal less than 32 seconds into the sudden-victory, third overtime stanza to stay in a tie for first place in the Bay Division with Burlingame.

“High drama. Lot of fun,” was how M-A boys’ head coach Steven Canalez described the game. “These (types of games) are my favorite. Gets the blood pumping.”

Since the boys’ game was the end of the first round of Bay Division play for both teams, no one could win a division title Tuesday.

But M-A (5-1 PAL Bay, 9-6 overall) may have ended the championship chances for Woodside (3-3, 7-6), which dropped its third game in Bay Division play and finds itself two games behind the Bears and Burlingame.

And yet it seemed like the Wildcats still had hope as they rallied to force overtime. Both teams scored twice in the opening quarter, before Woodside grabbed control of the match before halftime as the Wildcats scored twice in the final minute of the second period. Will Stevenson took a pass from Hank Hull on the weakside and was wide open for a 3-2 Woodside lead with 48 seconds left in the first half.

Cole Richards then gave the Woodside a 4-2 lead at halftime, as his shot in the waning seconds of the second quarter slipped through the hands of the M-A goalie with one second left.

But the Bears turned the tables in the third quarter, as three goals over a span of one minute and 21 seconds gave M-A a 5-4 lead. Spencer Harding’s short-sided goal from the right wing tied the game at 4-all before Grant Wescott put the Bears ahead. Evan ten Vaanholt pushed the M-A lead to 6-4 at the end of the third quarter, before goals from Bryce Winters and Navid Riahi to open the scoring in the fourth put the Bears up 8-4.

But Woodside responded with a backhand strike and a drive on goal from Miles Moore. Stevenson cut the Wildcats’ deficit to 8-7 with a goal with 2:56 left, one that deflected past the goalie.

And then, with less than 35 seconds to play in regulation, Stevenson scored the game-tying goal to send it to overtime.

Riahi put the Bears ahead early in the first overtime period, but was matched by Woodside’s Hull late in the initial extra time.

Both teams had their chances in the second overtime period, but neither could find the back of the net.

The Bears won the sprint to start the sudden-victory period and immediately called timeout to set up its offense. M-A stayed patient, working the ball around the perimeter before it ended up in the hands of Winters, way out on the left wing, with the shot clock winding down.

He unleashed his shot through a number of defenders’ arms before finding the far right corner of the cage for the game-winning — and game-ending — goal.

“[Winters] didn’t have a game up to his standards,” Canalez said. “He prides himself on his scoring.”

Girls’ game set the tone for the afternoon

The boys’ game was the perfect nightcap for an afternoon and evening that started with a battle between the girls’ squads. M-A was beaten in overtime at the Amanda McDonald tournament hosted by Menlo School last month, and the Bears were looking for payback.

“That lit a fire under our butts,” Lesyna said.

And it showed, as M-A (5-0 PAL Bay, 7-8 overall) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after the first period, with Molly Gray scoring a pair.

But like the boys’ game, the Woodside girls’ flipped the script in the second half. When Stella Connell scored 15 seconds into the second period, it opened the floodgates for the Wildcats, who would score four unanswered goals to tie at 4-all with 2:32 left in the first half.

M-A recovered with a Mica Podoly goal with two minutes left, but Woodside (4-1, 4-4) tied it at 5-all on a goal from Megan Hohl, who had torched the Bears for six goals in that tournament loss.

Neither team managed to score in the third period, but the Bears retook the lead on a goal from Sabine Polly inside the first minute of the fourth quarter. But Olivia Evan tied it for the Wildcats with 4:53 to play.

But Caroline Connaghan’s fast-break goal, off an assist from goalie Fiona McGaraghan, gave the Bears the lead for good with 2:05 to play. An insurance goal from Gray with just over a minute to play sealed the deal for M-A.

“It’s always a battle,” Lesyna said of playing Woodside. “It came down to who wanted it more.”