Menlo wins WBAL girls’ soccer showdown

As much as Ireland wants to treat those games against the Gators like any other, he knows that is a naive thought.

“Every one of these games is important,” Ireland said. “But this is absolutely not just another game.”

The two schools separated by less than a mile met for the first time this season at SHP Tuesday and it featured two of the hottest teams in the Central Coast Section. After a slow start, SHP had won games in a row coming into the showdown, while Menlo had won eight of its first 10 games.

Both had opened WBAL Foothill play with a pair of wins and the winner of Tuesday’s match would have a leg up in the Foothill standings.

The Knights made it 9 of 11 after scoring a pair of first-half goals and then weathering a strong Gators’ response in the second half to pull out a 2-1 victory.

“Whew,” Ireland said when asked about the game. “As always, it was contentious. … It was a great game.”

It was a result that left SHP head coach Ramiro Arrendondo frustrated. While Menlo (3-0 WBAL Foothill, 9-1-1 overall) had the better part of possession, it was more about where the Knights held onto the ball. A large portion of the first half was played in the SHP end of the field and it was that constant pressure that resulted in both the Menlo goals.

“We were a little slow to start,” Arrendondo said. “[The Knights] did what they had to do.”

SHP (2-1, 5-5-1) had the first real scoring chance when the Gators earned a free kick in the 11th minute, along the right sideline, about 30 yards from goal. Courtney Carpenter sent a cross into the penalty box where Anna Bassett hit it on the volley, but Menlo goalkeeper Sam Sellers was there to make the save, falling to her left.

From there, the Knights methodically started pushing the Gators deep into their own end.

In the 17th minute, Menlo opened the scoring. After winning a ball in the Gators’ end, Krista Arreola made a pass to Sasha Bernthal, who sent a cross to the middle of the field to Angelica Chou, who was stationed at the top of the box.

After taking a touch to settle the ball, Chou sent a looping shot over the top of the defense and just under the crossbar to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

Seven minutes later, the Gators doubled their lead, as they earned a free kick along the left sideline, about 30 yards from goal. Center back Tabitha Corcoran stepped up and hammered a shot that found the far right upper “V” for a 2-0 lead.

In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Gators got on their front foot and started applying pressure on the Knights’ defense.

While it didn’t result in many dangerous chances, it set the tone for the Gators’ goal in the opening minutes of the second half.

In the 45th minute, SHP got on the scoreboard. Earning a free kick near the left sideline, Lewa White sent a cross into the Menlo penalty box.

And then all hell broke loose. Menlo’s Sellers made the save, but gave up a rebound. As she went to dive on the loose ball, SHP’s Molly Tinsley crashed the goal, leaping over Sellers but landing on her lower leg, at which point she let out a scream and stayed on the ground.

Tinsley stuck with the play and headed it on goal, only to see Menlo’s Audrey Hochstetler head it off the goal line. SHP’s Sydney Adas got her head on it, but it went nearly straight up in the air.

Luckily for the Gators, Megan Sweeney was there and she finally headed it home to cut the Menlo lead in half.

But attention was quickly turned to Sellers, who received treatment while on the ground before she was carted off and went to the hospital, Ireland said.

The game was delayed for about 10 minutes before Menlo backup Bianca Putanec took over goalkeeping duties.

The freshman was up to the task, however. She was put under fire almost immediately as she made a save on a SHP free kick.

Putanec finished with four saves over the final 35 minutes to preserve the win.

The Gators kept pushing for the equalizer, but Menlo started to relieve the pressure with Chou controlling the Knights’ attack in the midfield.

The sophomore is in her first season with the Knights’ soccer team, having played basketball as a freshman. It was obvious soccer is her primary sport as she was the best player of the field. She nearly iced the game in the 63rd minute, making a run from the center of the field and ripping a shot off the far left post from 25 yards out.

It was the Knights’ last best chance as they held on the for the win.

“From a possession and opportunistic standpoint, we had the best of it,” Ireland said. “But we didn’t put the game to bed.”