Already locked into third place in the Pacific League, there’s still the matter of the Burroughs High girls’ soccer team looking to finish up the regular season with momentum before embarking on its playoff journey.
Burroughs might have taken a step in that direction when it met visiting Arcadia in a league match Tuesday.
The Bears stayed close with the experienced Apaches, but saw their bid for victory foiled in a 1-0 defeat at windy Memorial Field.
Burroughs (11-6-1, 8-4-1 in league for 25 points) came agonizingly close to tying the Apaches (13-4-2, 12-1 for 37 points) late, but couldn’t crack Arcadia’s impressive defensive unit that’s allowed just nine goals this season.
“We played a very good game against a very good team,” Burroughs coach Brady Riggs said. “We seemed to play well against teams in our league like Arcadia and Crescenta Valley. We’ve been right there. That’s something we can build on once the playoffs start.”
Arcadia took a 1-0 lead on a goal inside the box by Ima Kellerman in the 29th minute. An Arcadia shot hit the post and the rebound went to Kellerman, who beat Burroughs goalkeeper Layla Hoyo.
Arcadia didn’t yield a shot on goal in the first half before Burroughs looked to turn things around in the second half.
The Bears nearly tied it in the 67th minute, when a free kick by Kelani Roy struck the crossbar. The ball went to Burroughs’ Eden Butcher, who lined a shot that Arcadia goalkeeper Ainsley Stephenson stopped on the goal line.
“We thought we were going to tie it right there,” said Riggs, whose team suffered a 2-0 defeat at Arcadia on Jan. 10. “I thought the shot by Kelani was going to dip in just under the crossbar at first.
“We certainly had our chances. We had two bites at the apple. Two inches lower and we tie it up.”
The Bears finished the match with three shots on goal and limited the Apaches, who have won five contests in a row, to two.
Burroughs will conclude the regular season with a league road match against cross-town rival Burbank at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The Bears earned a 4-0 home victory versus the Bulldogs on Jan. 13.
“Go out and try to win that game and then get ready for the playoffs,” Riggs said. “We can build off some things we did in the second half today.”
Arcadia can clinch the league championship with either a win or tie against visiting Crescenta Valley on Thursday. Crescenta Valley is 11-0-2 in league with 35 points.
Burroughs will compete in the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs this season after being in Division IV last season.
The CIF postseason will begin Monday with wild-card matches. First-round contests will start Feb. 8.
The playoff brackets for all seven divisions will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Saturday.
