Sequoia gets past Panthers

“Every game matters when you have only 10 (league) games,” said Sequoia head coach Melissa Schmidt.

When the final whistle blew, the Ravens had evened their Bay Division record at 1-1 following a 2-1 victory over the Panthers.

“It was really important we turned it around after [Tuesday’s] game,” Schmidt said. “We hadn’t played since December 12th (before Tuesday’s league opener). … I think we have our competitive heads back on.”

For Burlingame head coach Philip DeRosa, the loss was a lesson learned. With six freshmen on the team, DeRosa said the start to the league season has been an eye-opening experience for his youngsters.

“The freshmen are getting used to this league,” DeRosa said. “We didn’t have a hard preseason and we’re getting a dose of the Bay (Division) right now.”

It didn’t take long for Sequoia (1-1 PAL Bay, 5-1-2 overall) to put the pressure on Burlingame (0-2, 5-2-1) as the Ravens found the back of the net just two minutes into the game. Addison Haws and Emma Heist worked a give-and-go along the right flank, before Teagan Tokheim sent a through ball down the line that Nina Mills chased down. She angled in on goal and from the right side of the penalty box, picked out the far upper left corner and lofted a shot on goal.

Burlingame goalkeeper Emily Geraghty managed to get her fingertips on the ball, but didn’t have enough to push the ball over the top, with the ball nestling into the net for a quick 1-0 lead.

“I just cringed when I saw that,” DeRosa said. “You can’t give up those kind goals in the beginning (of games).”

Burlingame, however, did have a response. The Panthers earned their third corner kick in the opening 10 minutes and converted it. Olivia Mausehund drove a hard cross to the top of the penalty, where she found an unmarked Elise Spenner. She didn’t get the cleanest shot off, but what Spenner was lacking in authority, she made up for with placement. Much like Sequoia’s goal, Spenner’s shot was a looping one, one that dipped just under the crossbar to tie the game at 1-all.

For Schmidt, Burlingame’s goal was a case of deja vu.

[Hillsdale] got us on a corner in the last minute,” Schmidt said. “That’s why I was screaming, ‘No corners!”

From that point until the halftime whistle, Sequoia took control of the game, dominating the midfield. At various points in the first 40 minutes, Burlingame had all 11 of its players in its defensive end.

Sequoia, meanwhile, had space and time to look up and find passing lanes and, in the 17th minute, the Ravens found what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Once again, Mills was in the center of it for Sequoia. Earning a free kick about 35 yards from goal, a ball was sent into the Burlingame penalty, but it was headed away by the Burlingame defense.

But the Panthers weren’t out of danger. Mills received the ball on the outside of the penalty box and sent a cross to the front of the goal.

Standing in front unmarked was Haws, who sidefooted a one-timer low into the right corner for a 2-1 Sequoia advantage.

At halftime, DeRosa made a tactical change. After a direct attacking style in the first half, DeRosa wanted more of a possession game in the second and it seemed to perk up the Burlingame offense.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” DeRosa said. “We’re still trying to put the puzzle together.”

Defensively, the Panthers were a lot more active and determined, sticking in on challenges more aggressively.

“They were pushing us more to the middle,” Schmidt said.

While the offensive changes resulted in more pressure on the Sequoia defense, the Ravens handled it with aplomb. Six-foot center back Aminah Evans, along with Charlotte Dugoni, shut down any Burlingame forays in the middle of the field.

Burlingame managed three shots on goal in the second half, but Sequoia goalkeeper Gabby Holloszy was there to make the saves.

Now that they’re into league play, Schmidt said she expects her team to get into a routine.

“I think now you get that rhythm of practice and play, practice and play,” Schmidt said.