Menlo-Atherton girls' soccer slows Woodside's roll

And while the Wildcats are still the favorites to wrap up the championship, they’ll need to wait until next week as Menlo-Atherton became the first opponent not to lose to Woodside as the two squads played to a scoreless tie.

“It was there for anyone,” M-A head coach Jason Luce said. “I think the tie was fair.”

With three games remaining — two scheduled games and a makeup — Woodside holds a three-point lead over both 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 M-A the first time this season, 3-2, while also escaping with a 2-1 win over Hillsdale. But the Wildcats answered every challenge and came away victorious in their first 13 games.

And they tried their best to do the same Thursday night in Redwood City. Woodside peppered the Bears goal, outshooting M-A 16-5. Eleven of those shots were on frame, but M-A goalkeeper Angelina Edwards made sure all of them stayed out of the net.

M-A definitely caught a break when Woodside standout Elise Evans, who has scored 10 goals in her last three games, proved that she is human, after all.

The Bears were determined not to let Evans beat them. Luce man-marked the Stanford-bound Evans with sophomore defender Anya Perazich — who was on Evans’ shoulder all game long, no matter where she went.

Evans on the attack? Perazich was there, usually with help. Evans drops back into her own penalty box? Perazich was right with her.

“Anya did a heck of a job,” Luce said. “She’s a tenacious defender. Defensively, we stayed composed.”

Evans, inevitably, did have her chances — golden opportunities, really. In the third minute, Pilar Vanheusden made a run through the midfield, laying off a pass to a charging Evans on the right flank. Evans’ shot attempt, however, sailed well high over the goal. In the 24th minute, Evans took a pass from Vanheusden in the middle of the M-A penalty box. She chested the ball down, spun and hammered a one-timer on goal — that was saved by Edwards. In the second half, Siena Bruno sent a perfect cross to the far left post that all but landed on Evans’ foot. But her shot attempt, for the second time, was blasted over the top.

Evans wasn’t the only one. Sofia Bellver Eymann, who provided a number of dangerous runs along the left sideline, was denied a couple times.

Just a couple minutes into the second half, Woodside’s Kaitlyn Ryan and M-A’s Avery Galles were involved in a scary collision in front of the goal as the two converged on an Evans cross. Minutes later, M-A’s Edwards parried away a shot attempt from Vanheusden, who had intercepted a clearing pass and broke on goal.

“We created chances,” Woodside interim head coach Nacho Navarrete said. “Elise worked hard … but not a lot of space for her.”

M-A (1-2-5, 5-5-6), on the other hand, was limited in their offensive chances but, like a boxer with a strong right hand, the Bears had a puncher’s chance.

Their best opportunities came on the counterattack and Alessia Bolanos nearly gave the Bears a lead just before halftime as she shielded off a defender near midfield, spun and broke in on goal.

Woodside stopper Angeni Garcia chased her down, however, and cleared the ball out for a Bears corner kick.

In fact, it seemed every time the Bears had a promising attack, Garcia was there to thwart it.

“She played really well,” Navarrete said. “They were putting pressure on us and she does a good job of shutting it down.”

In the closing moments, the Bears came as close to scoring as either team got, but Bolanos’ last chance at glory — a rocket of a shot from 20 yards out — clanged off the crossbar.

“I wanted that one. … We would have partied if that one went,” Luce said. “That team is one of the best we’ve seen. We played excellent. … We’re fighting for a playoff spot.”