ATHERTON – Menlo almost paid the price for not putting Holy Names away when it had the chance, but withstood a shaky finish to win 2-1 in California Pacific Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Wunderlich Field.

Senior Ryanne Bergstrom scored once on each side of halftime to put the Oaks in front 2-0, though the Hawks drew a goal back with plenty of time to change the outcome.

Menlo controlled the match for nearly seventy minutes, but didn’t find its first goal until Bergstrom found herself on the end of a Megan Finney pass across the face of the Holy Names goal in the 16th minute. Bergstrom calmly tapped the ball into the net for a 1-0 Oaks lead.

Menlo had chances to take the game by the throat before halftime, but couldn’t take advantage. Bergstrom fired a shot from a tough angle off the post, Amanda Torres was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty kick when a Hawks defender clearly blocked a shot with her arm, and Bergstrom had another shot saved off the goal line by a Holy Names defender.

Bergstrom seemed to put the game away when Finney found her again with a through ball that she drove past Hawks goalkeeper Danielle Miller for a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute, but Holy Names answered.

Annie Canalin put her head to the end of a Maria Gonzalez free kick and directed the ball over the outstretched arms of Oaks keeper Paige Cruz and into the goal on a textbook set piece. Holy Names drew within 2-1 in the 69th minute.

From there it was Menlo that was left scrambling to protect its lead. Oaks defender Natalie Hull cleared a Hawks shot from a corner kick off the line, Cruz tipped another goal-bound shot over the bar, and Canalin sent a wide open shot off the bar.

Menlo improves to 2-1 in the Cal Pac, 5-2 overall, and plays at Simpson University on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Holy Names is 2-2 in conference and 2-7 overall.