Bellevue 1-0 Liberty

42nd min 1-0 Paris (Saleen)

We play a game. For three very busy months we choose to play a game with our school friends. And by opting into that experience, by dedicating ourselves to the slings and arrows of tough practices, injuries, disappointment, frustration, mis-communication, homework juggling, illness, risk of failure, actual failure (the former is always worse), accidental elbows to the noggin or nasty turf burns on our knees and hips; by enduring these challenges and intense emotions, we also open ourselves to experience some of the great joys of life: accomplishing something together that we could not do individually, building community, experiencing joy, discovering new friendships, steadily improving at a skill, supporting teammates younger than you, authentic laughter, spontaneous smiles, genuine hugs, singing together, dancing together, and sometimes, very very rarely, the purity of hitting a ball with your foot so perfectly that hits the net in the upper, upper corner of the goal to win a championship for you and your friends. 

I love sport. I love how inconsequentially consequential it is. The absurdity of it. The outsized seriousness of it. For me, it really is the most important of the least important things in life.  

We found ourselves matched up with Kingco rival Liberty in the Final. We had tied Liberty in our last regular season game, senior night, in a game that didn't matter in the standings, but was intense from first minute to last. They are a very good program and well coached. We know them well and respect how they play soccer. And Liberty started the Final brightly, putting us under consistent pressure for the first 15 minutes with their skillful brand of possession soccer and speedy wingers. But our team defense was excellent, as we covered for each other and maintained our compact shape and balance. And from that solid foundation, the momentum began to shift in our favor and we started to create good chances of our own as we became more patient and thoughtful in our attacking play. The last 20 minutes of the half we had the momentum and Liberty were wobbling.   

Liberty were a bit unlucky with the draw (it happens...we have experienced this ourselves). They had the later semi-final on Friday night and had to play a very competitive game against Eastside Catholic that went into overtime and had to be decided in a shootout (by which time our players were already home, resting, and waiting for our opponent to be decided). So they had slightly shorter rest, and some extra minutes in their legs. So by the last ten minutes of our first half, it was clear the Patriots were getting understandably tired. Therefore our halftime tactics talk wasn't very sophisticated: finish them now while they are teetering. High press for the first 5-10 minutes of the second half, because every passing minute would give them confidence to push the game into extra time or a shootout. And so it goes. Two minutes after the restart the magic happened. Aanya took a throw-in to Saleen, who made a classy first-touch-sole-of-the-foot pass to Paris on the left sideline, Paris spun her defender on the dribble cutting inside towards goal and then fired a wonder-strike from 25yards to the upper near-post corner that left the excellent Liberty keeper helpless even at full stretch. Pandemonium. Hugs. 1-0 Bellevue.  

And that was it. We had several more opportunities to add to the scoreline (including two stone-cold penalty decisions that didn't go our way), but fortunately we didn't need the cushion. We played a very controlled second half and saw the game out with kudos going to our backline of Katelyn, Aanya, Maggie, Emerson, Talia, and Elina for shutting down each Liberty incursion before it became overly dangerous.

Final whistle and jumping for joy. Each of our players earning the forever title of State Champion. 

Every player will have their own cherished memories and perspectives from our happy night, but I have a list of my own: the sound of the final whistle, joyous hugs between our coaching staff, our captains being presented with the championship trophy and hosting it in the air surrounded by their teammates, our team slapping the "Bellevue" sticker on the final bracket, small groups of families hugging their state champion daughters, tiny team siblings posing with the trophy with their blue and gold pom poms, Lola wearing "the hat," my Gatorade ice-bucket water-boarding at midfield (worth it), the football team driving an hour to Sparks to support our team from the stands, music in the locker room pre-game and on the bus on the way home, Coach Carlie's pre-game snack bags for the bus ride (hat tip to coach Kay nostalgia), forgotten game jerseys and the selfless generosity of a younger sister, bus drivers who are retiring after 30 years on the job with their final assignment hauling our happy team home (including a stop at Dairy Queen where many Blizzards were consumed with extra helpings of chocolate, carmel, and heaps of extra sugar on top)...

...and the purity of hitting a ball with your foot so perfectly that it hits the net in the upper, upper corner of the goal to win a championship for you and your friends.  

Sincerest thanks to the families and supporters (lots of alumni players and families in the stands) that added to the atmosphere and emotion of the evening, with special shout-outs to Jay Peters for both his professional quality photography and videography, but also wrangling two bins of parkas on behalf of the team, the Tucker family for generously hosting team breakfast two weekends in a row so we could review video, Stacy and Jen for absolutely everything (too many details to list), and a dedicated coaching staff who care deeply for these players and this program (Annika, Carlie, Heather, Imad and Kinley). And to all the volunteers who organized senior nights, hosted team dinners, provided transportation, and washed endless loads of jerseys and socks throughout the season. Thank you. 

Pride is a sin, but one that I gladly acknowledge: I'm so proud of this program. Thank you to our BGS community for making it so special. 

We play. a game. 

Bellevue 1-0 Roosevelt

60th min 1-0 Ava FK

This is going to be a short recap. Really. With less than 24 hours before the 3A final, our entire focus is now on playing Liberty for a State Championship (winners 3-2 in a 7th round shootout over Eastside Catholic). Let's see how I do... 

In our Semi-Final, we were matched up with Metro regular season champions and familiar foe Roosevelt for the third time in the last four years in the Final Four ('22 final 1-0 Bellevue, '24 Semi 1-2 OT Roosevelt...and last night). We started the game...a bit..well...jittery (understatement alert)? But just before I was about to execute on the rarely seen ten player simultaneous "line-change" substitution, we began to settle down and play our way out of a nervy start. Before almost every game I remind the team that the "table stakes" for each game, the minimum requirement that each of them can control, is effort and attitude. Even the very best players in the world have gamedays where technical skills aren't as sharp as expected, so we control what we can control: effort and attitude. Effort leads to confidence, and confidence to ball control and poise. 

We regrouped at halftime, talked about "breathing through our eyelids like a lava lizard" (sage advice from Annie to Nuke Laloosh in Bull Durham to get the young phenom to stop overthinking), and took the field looking more like the Bellevue team we have watched all season. 

Then the game pivoted on three critical moments in the second half:

1. In the 55th minute, Katelyn made a terrific save from a Roosevelt free kick diving to her right at full stretch. 

2. Just a few minutes later in the 60th minute, Mack got fouled a whisker outside of the box, and Ava curled a magnificent free kick over the keeper into the far corner. 1-0 Bellevue. In her last four free kicks, Ava has two goals and two crossbars hit...not a bad ratio for accuracy and power (then just a minute later Saleen smashed a shot off of the underside of the crossbar from a well taken corner and the momentum was fully in our favor...) 

3. Katelyn made another wonderful save, tipping the ball over the crossbar to preserve our lead late in the game.

Then our entire team shut down Roosevelt for the remaining minutes of the game, playing tenacious, smart, and organized defense. FTJ. 

Now we have the opportunity to play for a State Championship. Our magic number is now 1. Well done everyone.    

Final thoughts: our bench was amazing last night, not only for the important minutes given on the field, but for keeping our team energy up and positive. It makes a difference for the mentality of a team if substitutes are winning the "sideline game" of positivity and support. Lola even wore "the hat," an important team talisman that has graced the Sparks sideline for our last three Final Fours. Also, big thanks our supporters in the stands for lending us your energy (especially when we really needed it early in the first half).

See you this afternoon at Sparks, we'll be breathing through our eyelids like a lava lizard.

Bellevue 3-2 Central Kitsap

10th min 0-1 CK goal corner
13th min 0-2 CK goal corner
17th min 1-2 Ava FK
39th min 2-2 Nora (Ava)
78th min 3-2 Saleen (Raina)

As I drove away from Bellevue stadium after our quarter-final win, I had my Apple Music algorithm serving me up music as I processed the last few hours of incredible drama. Blasting through the speakers, I heard the following lyrics:

It feels cold and I feel old
And all these gray hairs warm up my soul
And though the lines on my face feel new
I've been carving them my whole life through... (Mihali, "Carved Lines")

Our quarter-final game against Central Kitsap definitely contributed to a few more carved lines on the coach's face. But happily most of them will be from post-game smiles, celebratory roars at each Bellevue goal, pride in this program, and blessed relief. What a game. Worth every wrinkle.  

We prevailed 3-2 in the most dramatic way possible, advancing to the State Final Four next weekend at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup where we will get a rematch against Roosevelt at 4:45pm on Friday.  (Eastside Catholic will play Liberty in the other Semi-final at 7pm for an all-district 2 Final Four, Metro vs Kingco). On Saturday, the final is at 5pm, and the 3rd place game is at 12:15pm. So two more games left in our season, regardless of results. 

Central Kitsap gave us everything we could handle, and then some. The Cougars earned a corner in the 10th minute and scored a great header at the near post and we were down 0-1 for the first time in weeks. But wait, it gets worse, three minutes later CK earned another corner and deja vu'd us to a 0-2 deficit, but this time with a header from the back post. Two very well executed set pieces, and we got to experience something that we had never experienced before: a two goal hole we needed to climb out of... But we didn't quit. We didn't grumble. We didn't shout at each other. We just put the ball at center field and got back to work.  

We also made a few tactical adjustments, shifting our formation to better deal with Central Kitsap's two forward set and add more players to midfield. And the momentum began to tip towards the home team. In the 17th minute, Ava took a free kick from 25 yards and blasted a missle of a shot that beat the keeper at the near post. Still 1-2 CK but we had a lifeline. CK was still dangerous on the break, but we began to create our typical pile of chances. And another pile of near misses. But with seconds left in the half we got our equalizer in spectacular fashion, as Ava dropped a simple ball back to her midfield partner Nora (in the massive GAP in midfield), and our senior Captain said goodbye to Bellevue Stadium in the best way possible, with a 30yard shot that found the narrowest gap between CK's goalie's fingertips and the underside of the crossbar. Exuberance. Exhilaration. Exhale. Halftime whistle. 2-2 tie. New game. Forty minutes of soccer left. 

And for the next forty minutes, two very good teams battled with full effort, committed tackles, stout defense, and each with their own respective flavor of offense: CK with lightning quick counter-attacks, and switched play build-up possession down the wings, and decisive dribbling in the attacking third from our Wolverines. And just as it looked like overtime was likely (and my shootout list was being quietly unfolded), the fog rolled in and covered the field in an eerie blanket for dramatic effect (like a fog machine in a 80s era stadium rock show), and we got the winner with less than three minutes left in the game. Ava won the ball at midfield from a Cougar punt and passed square to Raina; two-touches and a quick, direct ball to Saleen's feet just outside the CK box, scissor move to her left creating a half a yard of space at the top of the box, and a low hard finish to the near post past the diving goalkeeper. Our junior captain has been a highlight reel all season, but this goal goes to the very top of the list. Pandemonium. Hugs. High-fives. 3-2 Bellevue. Final score. Amazing. Just amazing.            

I'm so happy for our team, especially our seniors who get to leave Bellevue Stadium for the last time as winners. The final statistics were heavily in our favor, 21 shots 2 corners vs 5 shots 2 corners for CK (two very productive corners from their perspective). And like our game against Ridgeline, we had a 56% possession edge. But it never felt like a competitive mismatch, more of a stylistic difference. Again, they gave us all we could handle. 

So respectful commiserations to the team from Central Kitsap. They played a beautiful game, fought hard and fair, but soccer can be cruel in how quickly fortunes can change. And after the first 13 minutes of our game, our fortunes needed changing. And they did, in the best possible way.  

And we are off to Sparks to create more memories, a few more carved lines.

Bellevue 1-0 Ridgeline

17th min 1-0 Nora (unassisted)

There are no extra credit points for style during playoff soccer. Although we aspire to play poised, flowing, rhythmic soccer regardless of the stage or the opponent, sometimes what we get is gritty, determined, scrappy, and tough soccer...and that is enough. We emerged from a tense scrum a 1-0 winner and advanced to the next round of the state tournament: a quarter-final against #6 Central Kitsap who prevailed 1-0 in a very tight battle against Holy Names in the game that preceded ours. 

I expected a little bit of competitive rust after 10 days off  since we beat Inglemoor in the Kingco Championship game. It's a long break for any team at any level. Great for resting legs, not for preserving momentum. But instead of rust, we started smoothly, moving the ball quickly, pressing hard, and creating several early chances. We were good. Really good. But each attempt in the early phases sailed slightly wide, or slightly high, or a Ridgeline defender was able to make a lunging deflection that kept us from getting the ball into the net. For 15 minutes, it was one-way traffic but without a reward. Finally we broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, as Saleen dashed down the right wing and cut-back a cross that the Ridgeline keeper cleared with a nonchalant kick save that spun high into the air, looping towards the top of the box...where it was met with cool precision by Nora with a perfect half-volley finish from 18 yards into the far corner of the goal. 1-0 Bellevue. Outstanding finish. Not overhit. Just solid smooth contact low and past the keeper.  

And it felt like the dam would break and a floodwater of goals would flow...but...no...no breaking dam, no gushing of goals, no waterfall of wonder, no flow of finishes. Instead: slightly wide. slightly high. off the crossbar, or cleared off the line. And that was the pattern for the game: Bellevue creating plenty of chances, dominating possession, but. not. quite. flowing. Final statistics: 27 / 10 shots/corners to 5/2 for Ridgeline and a 56/44 possession advantage for our team. Complete domination in statistics, but narrow margins where it counts the most: the scoreboard.

And every minute that we failed to score the insurance goal we sought, the more confidence Ridgeline gained. And with 20 minutes left in the game it was still just a one goal game...and suddenly we got very, very tight. Boom ball. Frenzied clearances. Panic stations. And if not for some last minute heroics by Katelyn and our defenders throwing themselves in front of the few shot attempts Ridgeline created, clearing attempts off the line, the Ridgeline Falcons could have spoiled our statistical domination with a "smash and grab" equalizer. But thankfully they didn't. We held on. 

FTJ is a core value for this program, and we FTJ'd the heck out of our game against Ridgeline.  

And we'll be better for the experience. If we have to preserve a narrow lead again in this playoff run, we'll be calmer, more poised, and just as ready to throw ourselves in front of attempted shots (or a teammate's inadvertent elbow 🙂).

I think the patient possession we showed all season just needed a competitive reboot of gametime. And if we continue to create a 27 to 5 shot advantage the rest of the way...I like our chances. We plan to bring our shooting boots to the Central Kitsap game.   

Because we are ready for this journey. Can we score goals? Yes we can. 42 for the season in 18 games. Can we defend? Yes we can. Two goals allowed in our last six games, and only 13 for the season. Can we come from behind? Yes we can. Last minute equalizer against Mt. Si, and two goals in the last ten minutes to beat Skyline. Battle tested? Yes we are. We played the most challenging schedule in the state including victories against Issaquah, Skyline, Woodinville and a draw against Mt. Si: 4 of the 8 quarter finalists in this year's 4A State tournament. 

We. are. ready. for. this. 

We are going to walk onto the turf at Bellevue Stadium for the last time this season later today. The last time ever for our seniors. And we are going to play our best game of the season. 

See you later tonight. 

Peter 

ps. A big thank you to all of the supporters who endured a late start (CK had transportation issues) to our game on a cold, wet night. And advanced thanks to the Tucker family for hosting the entire team on Saturday morning to review Central Kitsap video at their home. We basically invited ourselves over and they were gracious enough to give us a cozier spot to prepare for our quarter-final than the girls locker room. 

Bellevue 3-0 Inglemoor

9th min Raina (Saleen)
30th min Paris (Saleen)
66th min Raina (Kasia)

I live in a musical household. My wife studied music in college, and both of my daughters share her love of musical theater. So when the musical Hamilton was big, and my kids needed constant carpooling, it got heavy rotation in every car ride we took. Obviously it was one of the most popular musicals (if not THE most popular), because the story, music and lyrics are excellent, and soooo very American: hard-working, smart and ambitious immigrant in our pre-Revolutionary era makes good despite challenges and mistakes (and heartbreak) IS the American dream, and that theme is established from the opening moments of the first Act, especially with the song "My Shot" when a young Alexander declares "I am not throwin' away my shot..." 

Taking opportunities is a complex mix of planning, work, preparation, vision, grit, will, courage and luck. As a team, we've spent two months controlling what we can (rest, diet, sleep, homework, training design, scheduling, team bonding, physical therapy, fun, etc.) so that we have the best possible probability to achieve our goals when the time is right, and the opportunity presents itself. The 3A Kingco Championship was one of those opportunities. And we didn't throw away our shot. 

We earned the trophy by beating Inglemoor who have been doing their best Cinderella impression late in the season, winning their first Kingco playoff game 4-3 in a shootout vs Highline, before upsetting 2nd seed Liberty in their semi-final 2-1 to take their place in the Kingco Championship. The Vikings are playing their best soccer when it matters most, so we gave them the respect they deserved, did our video review homework, worked hard in practice, and built a game plan that we thought would give us our best chance of winning. We opened the scoring in the 9th minute, as Saleen set Raina free down our right wing with a tidy pass at midfield and our senior captain did the rest, outracing her defender and casually depositing the ball into the far corner. 1-0 Bellevue. In the 30th minute, Saleen was taken down on the far edge of the penalty box on our right side, free kick. "Blob far" and "Kenergy" gave us the look we wanted and Paris finished from six-yards from a clean cross from Saleen. 2-0 Bellevue. From the training ground, to the game. Perfect. Finally, in the 64th minute, Kasia latched onto a clearance in our defensive third and sprinted directly at the nearest Inglemoor defenders. Then past the defender. And 60 yards later Kasia whipped a cross towards the back post where Raina was waiting (having made her own 60 yard sprint) to hammer home from the doorstep. Textbook counter-attack and breakaway. 3-0 Bellevue. Coaches love it when their teams score a wide variety of goals: build up possession-based goals: check. Set-piece goals: check. Counter-attack fast-breaks in transition: check. This team can score in a lot of different ways.  

But most importantly, we are getting very stingy in allowing shots and goals. In the Championship, we created 19/4 vs. 2/2 vs. 56%/44% shots/corners/possession advantages. Very stingy. And when we do allow a shot, Katelyn is up for the challenge. Against Inglemoor, it was after a rare hiccup from our backline that gifted Inglemoor a free shot at goal from 12 yards, but Katelyn closed the distance between her and the shooter rapidly, made her body as big as possible, and smothered the chance before it became the catalyst for an Inglemoor comeback. Awesome. November soccer isn't always the prettiest soccer due to weather conditions, but playing dedicated and stingy team defense is effective at any time of year.  

Going into the State tournament, we have a 11-3-3 record, 41 goals scored and only 13 against in 17 games (7 shutouts) in a schedule that challenged us the entire year (no cupcakes). 

With our Kingco title, we have now qualified for the 3A State Tournament. On Sunday, November 9th, the seeding committee will meet to seed all 20 qualified teams into the tournament bracket. The top 4 seeds earn home-field advantage until the Final Four which is hosted at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup every year. We want to go to Sparks. Given our current RPI (#2), strength of schedule, and key wins (Issaquah, Woodinville, Eastside Catholic, etc.), it is likely that the committee will vote for us to be a top 4 seed (but not guaranteed, remember, the school name on our jersey isn't beloved in all corners of our state). Which means: we will likely host a Round of 16 game at Bellevue Stadium on Friday, November 14th (time TBD). With the winner of that game playing the quarterfinal the next day, Saturday, November 15th at 6pm. The Final Four schedule has semi-finals on Friday, November 22nd, with the State Final on Saturday, November 23rd. Four potential games left, so our magic number is now 4.

We'll send the seeding committee results out to the group as soon as it is available.            

Given the long break until our next game, we will use the time for some rest and recovery. No training today, light training on Thursday, and no practice on Friday. I'm hopeful that the team will use the long-weekend judiciously. We'll resume our regular pattern of training next week beginning on Monday once we know our pathway through the State tournament.  

Congratulations to each member of the team, the coaching staff, Kinley and her merry band of ankle tapers, booster club parents, and to each supporter who has invested their time to follow this team's journey so far.  Thank you. 

(why are some of us holding up 5 fingers in our post-game photo? We are the first Kingco 3A team to win 5-consecutive championship titles (breaking the record set by last year's team 🙂))

Bellevue 3-0 MI
​
19th min 1-0 Raina (Ava)
41st min 2-0 Saleen (Raina)
50th min 3-0 Saleen PK

For the entire previous week, ever since our game was rescheduled to Saturday night and our opponent was determined, I've been glued to my weather app. Is talking about the weather the most boring topic of conversation imaginable? Tax policy, family vacation photo sharing with friends, and crypto meme-coin enthusiasts might have a case, but all week I was focused on Saturday night weather forecasts. MI is a scrappy, physical team that would thrive in rainy, soaked, and gusty conditions, potentially neutralizing our possession advantages. And all week it looked bad for Saturday. Worse than that. Atmospheric-river-bad. Flood warnings. High-wind advisories. Trees falling down. It reminded me of the esteemed Dr. Peter Venkman explaining the seriousness of the ghost problem in NYC..."The city is headed for a disaster of Biblical proportions...cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria!!!" (Happy belated Halloween to fans of the original Ghostbusters). But then...just hours before our kick-off, the winds died. The deluge spigot from earlier in the day was abruptly turned off. The sun emerged from behind gray clouds. Actual warmth. And as we kicked off, a beautiful sunset. Amazing.

And for the opening phases of the game we played like the weather. Calm. Beautiful. We were patient in our passing, generous with the ball, not taking too many touches and rotating our possession until we found simple openings down the wings. We created lots of chances, but most shots were either directly at the MI goalkeeper, or wide of the mark. We finally broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, covering the full field in three passes. First was a goal kick tap square pass to Maggie, then a simple 25 yard ball on the ground to a checking Ava in midfield, one touch to turn, and the second touch launched 40 yards over the defense to a wide-open Raina...Raina's first touch was perfect, inside towards goal and her finish was even better, as our #10 roofed it from an acute angle to the far upper corner. Sublime finish, sublime assist. 1-0 Bellevue. 

And we were flying...or so I thought. But maybe we soared too close to the setting sun, because our wax wings began to melt after our goal and we had a mediocre last twenty minutes of the first half. Herky jerky. Unpressured give-aways. A rough patch and we fell to earth, and were fortunate to not give up an equalizer. However, we re-grouped at halftime, talked it out, agreed to lock-in collectively, play more like a golden sunset, and less like a dark gloomy night. 

And so we did. Within two minutes, Nora won the ball at midfield with one of her trademark sliding tackle toe-nail pokes to send the ball into MI's defensive third...where Saleen and Raina pounced and counter-pressed, forcing the MI left back into a give-away, the ball rebounded from Raina to Saleen who was free in the box with just the keeper to beat. We know how this scene ends. Calm finish. 2-0 Bellevue. A great team gritty goal. A playoff goal. A goal of will and toughness, that originated in a committed tackle at midfield. When the weather turns in November, these types of goals are often the difference.   

In the 50th minute, we effectively put the game out-of-reach, as Raina chased down the ball on the right wing and burst into the box before cutting the ball back to a trailing Ava to fire on goal... directly onto the outflung hand of the MI defender. Clear handball by rule (arm was well away from her body and in the air), even if not intentional. Regardless of the constantly changing handball rules, we won't quibble. Saleen stepped up to the PK spot, took responsibility, and finished smartly. 3-0 Bellevue.

The goal margin enabled us to rotate the roster and give several players their first taste of playoff and/or varsity soccer. But not everyone. We have a roster of 23 players for our playoff run, and as I have discussed with the team, it won't always be possible to get everyone playing time during playoffs. It's a journey we want to share as widely as possible within our program, but some roster roles will be more limited and that takes an attitudinal shift to keep positive, and ready, to help the team in whatever way is required. I was proud of how our entire group of "12s" supported the action on the field from our shelter, or took their opportunities when called upon. 

Our victory has earned us a spot in the 3A Kingco Championship Final on Tuesday, Nov 4th at 7pm at Bellevue Stadium against Inglemoor. The winner of the Final will earn a berth in the State tournament, while the loser will play again on Saturday, Nov 8th against the winner of Liberty and Mercer Island (also on Nov 4th) for the last State spot available from Kingco. Playing in any game with a trophy at stake is rare at any level. It's special. We have that opportunity on Tuesday against an Inglemoor team that is peaking at the right time in their season. We'll be ready. "...If you have one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment would you capture it or just let it slip..."  Mom's spaghetti but calm and ready.        

Finally, we had our annual Halloween practice session on Friday (in the atmospheric river)...for me, this is the best of high school soccer: joyful, silly, fun.

As always, thank you for the support against Mercer Island. See you on Tuesday.

Bellevue 1-1 OT Liberty
​
48th min 0-1 Liberty PK
74th min 1-1 Mack (Kasia? unassisted? Who wants to claim the assist?)

Senior night had a little bit of everything: we had a beautiful ceremony before the game to honor our seniors. Bells were rung. Photos were taken. Balloons were floated. And gorgeously intricate flower lei necklaces were placed around the necks of our wise seniors by their youthful teammates (thank you Alyssa Jeremiah)  We had moments early in the game of wonderful flowing soccer...and we had ragged moments later in the game that we'll want to scrub from our memories. We had a blackout in the first half. Michael Jackson's Thriller was played by our announcer/DJ (perfection). There was a red card. We had overtime (twice). And we had a long-distance wonder-goal from Mack to preserve a point with only four minutes in regulation. So of course, the robot camera at the stadium froze with 5 minutes left in the game and didn't record our tying goal...sigh. It was a full and thrilling night.

In the end, we shared points with Liberty in a 1-1 tie. Their goal from a PK in the 45th minute. And our goal in the 76th minute from a long way away and an acute angle that Mack struck perfectly. If goals correlated with momentum and quality chances created, we should've been up by 2-3 goals at halftime; and truthfully, Liberty could say the same thing about the second half, even playing over twenty minutes with only ten players. They had the better chances in the second half and were only a crossbar and a whiff from six yards from extending their lead.  

The red card was a shame. I never want to see a player red-carded from either team (except for intentionally violent behavior), but apparently the Liberty player left the referee no choice as she disagreed with the yellow card she had been shown, and used especially strong language about that decision within earshot of the referee. It's a lesson I'm sure she'll never forget, and it's a lesson we can take too. Competitive people get competitive, and I'm not naive about language, but we must always do our best to hold our tongues and check our behavior with referees regardless of how frustrating (or unfair) the decision seems to be. High school games are attended by grandparents, parents, supporters, and younger siblings and their friends. Like it or not, our girls are role models when they step onto the field in their Bellevue kit, and therefore we'll always strive to conduct ourselves with dignity and respect, even when decisions go against us.  

Oddly, once the Liberty player was sent off, it was OUR team that struggled, despite having an extra player. Unpressured passes were going out-of-bounds. Traps were bouncing 5 yards from our bodies. Headers were going in the opposite direction. And we got a collective case of "sticky feet" and tried to dribble our way to victory; which is the exact opposite of the tactics that should be used when your opponent is playing short-handed. Quick, patient, and poised passing is what we wanted, and instead we became jittery and sloppy dribble-monsters. It wasn't great. And it certainly seemed like Liberty would be the "turd in the punch bowl" of our senior night party. Then Mack's goal happened. Relief. All is forgotten and forgiven. And the chase was on for the winning goal. But the ten minutes of OT seemed like one minute, and we walked off the field with a tie game.   

Full credit to Liberty. They played well, and were tactically excellent when going down to ten players.

Our seniors all got to start the game and each of them played well. So sincerest thanks to Kendall, Emerson, Raina and Nora. My deepest hope is that we are able to extend our season for another few weeks and add another photo of our senior four, this time hoisting a very big trophy.

But first things first. In 9 days we play a Kingco Semi-final at 5:30pm on Saturday, November 1st. Because our next game is so far away (also by all accounts we are at the point in the semester when the academic grind is becoming intense), we are giving the team a full four days off to rest and recover and free up some time for studies. We will resume training next week on Tuesday.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers for organizing tonight's senior festivities.

Bellevue 2-0 Redmond
25th min 1-0 Paris (Aanya) from FK
42nd min Katelyn mega-save
73rd min 2-0 Ava (Hailee)

As some of you know, before I started coaching at BHS our family lived in London for several years. We had an amazing time and to this day, my youngest daughter can rattle off random facts about Queen Victoria that she learned in first grade. While in the UK I became a fan of the BBC show "Quite Interesting" (or QI) which is a panel show of witty comedians who are quizzed about random facts researched around a weekly theme. For example, in one of the early season shows ("Hocus Pocus"), the theme was Magic and Illusion and a young Daniel Radcliffe was one of the rotating panelists. One of the facts was introduced with the riddle "What is blue and sounds like a whale?". The answer is "quail" and the underlying fact is the "blue quail" is a species of bird native to sub-saharan Africa that has a deep voiced call that mimics a much larger animal or predator. Cool fact. (Yeah...it's an acquired taste, and very nerdy).   

So for this recap, I'm going to celebrate a few facts.

Fact #1. We have a great goalkeeper.
On very slick turf that made possession play challenging and good shot-stopping a tricky task, our sophomore goalkeeper made two fantastic saves that preserved our shutout in a 2-0 win over the visiting Redmond Mustangs. We opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a pair of rebounded shots, the first from Aanya with hard shot against the Redmond wall, and then Aanya hit the rebound towards goal...where Paris redirected the shot at the goalkeeper, who blocked, and Paris finished her rebound with a goal from short range. 1-0 Bellevue. Then Katelyn happened. First with only a minute left in the half, the Remond left winger got free inside the box with only Katelyn to beat, hard shot, reaction save. No goal. Halftime 1-0. Then two minutes into the second half, the dangerous Redmond midfielder picked up the slops from 2-3 mis-clearances, and hit a drive from 25 yards that I instinctively said "that's in" to the A/R who was standing next to me on the sidelines...but Kately took two confident steps towards her back post and launched her body upwards, pushing the ball just over the crossbar with perfect technique. Simply breath-taking goalkeeping (and something I know the GK sorority has been working on with Coach Imad). The near goals woke us up a bit and we saw the game out, but not before Hailee got her first varsity point with an excellent cut-back cross from the right wing that Ava smashed home at the back post. 2-0 Bellevue. Final Score. Final stats weren't glittering, but enough to get the job done. 13/4 shots, and 0/4 corners with 48/52 possession deficit Bellevue/Redmond.   

Fact #2. For the 5th consecutive season Bellevue enters the 3A tournament as the #1 seed. Due to a scheduling conflict with football, our Kingco Semi-Final has been moved from Thursday, October 30th to Saturday, November 1st at 5:30 at Bellevue Stadium. Our opponent will be the winner of Mercer Island vs. Sammamish. In the previous two meetings this season, MI has beaten Sammamish 9-0 and 6-1...so...with all due respect to Sammamish, it's likely we'll play the Islanders in our semi-final. It's the first meeting between our long-time rivals in over two years and I'm sure both sides will be eager and ready to renew our rivalry (in the most respectful sportsmanlike way, of course).  If we win that game, the Kingco Final will be on Tuesday, Nov 4th at 7pm at Bellevue Stadium. If you are a glutton for staring at tournament brackets and trying to figure out every possible permutation (guilty), or if you just want to know when we might be competing for a State Title so you can plan your November family calendar, then here is our future in the links below.  We won't know our seeding for the State Tournament until we qualify, and then the Seeding Committee meets on the morning of Sunday, Nov 9th with the final brackets being released later that day:

3A Kingco Tournament

3A State Tournament

Fact #3. Thursday vs. Liberty is the last regular season home game for our seniors. Despite the fact that our playoff fate is already determined, there are lots of reasons for us to bring our best effort to Bellevue Stadium tomorrow.  1) Winning is way more fun.  2) We play to honor our seniors (Emerson, Kendall, Nora, & Raina) 3) Our seeding in state will be influenced by our final RPI ranking, and losing games, even meaningless games, will negatively impact our RPI ranking. The top four seeds in the State Tournament get to host the Round of 16/quarter-final pod at their home stadium. This is a big deal. The alternative is getting a seeding that requires travel somewhere else (Seattle, Spokane, Gig Harbor, Vancouver, etc.). We would rather play at home. So I'm looking forward to Senior-Night against Liberty tomorrow for all the reasons above. But especially #2. 

And that's a fact.

Bellevue 2-1 Woodinville OT Golden Goal
​
3rd min Paris (Ava)
60th min Woodinville goal from FK and header
83rd min Saleen (Ava) Golden goal 

Twice in the space of two weeks we have defeated the #1 ranked 4A team in the state...first it was undefeated Issaquah last Thursday, and then Woodinville last night. That's quite a week (especially if we goldfish our game against Bothell). 

We got off to a very strong start, buzzing into tackles and keeping possession nicely between our backline and midfield. In the first minute, Emerson stepped into midfield to win the ball and her challenge looped behind the Woodinville defense and Mack pounced, sliding the ball beneath the Woodinville keeper and off the far post. Just wide...and offside..but our intentions were very clear. The tone had been set. And just a minute later, Ava took the role of ballwinner in midfield, and released Paris down the left wing. Paris beat her defender, cut inside, and curled a beautiful shot into the far corner of the goal. 1-0 Bellevue. Sweet tackling with a thick frosting of quick transitions is one of my favorite recipes. Delicious.  

And the tone was set. Did Woodinville have chances? Of course they did. They are an excellent team that deserved to be ranked #1 and featured quality all over the pitch. But on the night, we were a step quicker, a fraction more committed, and most importantly for me, we displayed several extended segments of smooth, one-touch and two-touch passing, with supporting movement that opened up the spaces that was a joy to watch. If we can ever turn those beautiful segments into longer phases, and eventually, into an entire 80 minutes...well then...more great things will happen. 

We maintained our 1-0 lead into halftime, and quite frankly, we should've been playing against 10 as the referee missed a jersey tug from the last Woodinville defender on Saleen to prevent a clear break-away. From where I was standing, it was a clear violation, a shirt-tug that spun Saleen around and slowed her progress, and by rule, the woodinville player should've seen red. Not from anything dirty, but denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity is written in the rules, and it was simply missed. Sigh. The referee must have had a bad angle on the play. It happens. We went into halftime with our 1-0 lead.  

There was no let down as we started the second half. We continued to stay connected, keeping our axis tight from back to front and making it very difficult for Woodinville to maintain possession across their backline. Then Raina made bold run down the right wing, got inside her defender, and was brought down several yards inside the Woodinville penalty area. Immediate whistle. Clear penalty. But wait, the referee didn't point to the spot, but to a place on the turf several yards behind where the foul took place...just outside of the box. Ugh. I understand that referees don't like giving penalties unless it's indisputable, and if the foul occurs anywhere close to the line, many many referees take the more conservative decision and leave it as a free kick just outside the box. The AR told me that the referee saw the Woodinville defender hook Raina's arm outside the box before fouling her a second time in the box...after watching the video I can understand the decision, but in my opinion, if the clear foul hadn't been made in the box, the arm tussling would never have been called originally. But we'll never know. Of course, coming so close to extending the lead via a PK, what happens next? A Woodinville goal. From a free kick from 40 yards away, a Woodinville player dashed between our defender and our onrushing keeper to flick the ball into an empty net with her head. Tie game. 1-1 in the 60th minute. The last twenty minutes were like watching two battered and bloodly fighters in the ring in the 10th round, legs wobbly, but still throwing haymakers hoping for a knock-out punch that never came. We were tired. They were tired. The soccer got a bit sloppier. But neither team conceded an inch of turf without a challenge. We rotated substitutes in a quick fire attempt to get a few minutes of rest across our line-up, but a few field players had to go the duration (thank you Ava, Aanya, Maggie, our fab three who never came off the pitch). 

Then came the regulation whistle and we were into Golden Goal overtime, two five-minute periods when the first goal ends the game. But we didn't need five minutes, we only needed three to score one of my favorite goals of the season. It started with a simple but quick throw-in from Aanya at midfield on the left side. Mack checked back to receive the ball and one-touched back to Aanya, who one-touched a perfect 25yd square ball to Ava just inside the Woodinville attacking third. Ava hit ANOTHER one-touch pass to a wide-open Saleen 30 yards from goal...and Saleen took..more than one-touch...in fact, she deked three defenders in one of her trademark mazy dribbles, then sat down the goalkeeper before blasting the winning goal into the back of the net. Sublime. My favorite style of soccer: fluid one and two touch passing from midfield into attacking areas and then exquisite unpredictable creativity once we have the ball in dangerous areas. 

It was like Hemingway writing about the running of the bulls in Pamplona: we kept the prose gritty and simple to set the scene with dramatic tension, then dazzled with powerful and decisive storytelling at the conclusion. Golden goal. Pulitzer.

So now we head into our final week of the regular season with two more home games: Redmond and chief 3A rival Liberty. Our final home game against Liberty is also senior night.

We'll know more about our league playoff prospects after each of our games next week, but our Woodinville win was like getting the pole position at a track like Monaco: it's still possible to falter during the actual race (flat tire, mis-judge a turn, mechanical issue), but most times whoever earns the pole position in Monaco typically gets a trophy and a champagne shower.

Our next opportunity is against Redmond. See you then.

Bellevue 0-1 Bothell

9th min. Bothell goal

"It's a Trap" --Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi before being surrounded by tie fighters in a surprise dogfight for survival

We watched a lot of video in preparation for our Bothell game. We watched Bothell beat a good LW team 4-3 last week, and then demolish Eastlake 3-0 without seemingly getting out of first gear. It was clear from scouting that Bothell was a quality team (they are tied for first place in our league, so that's an obvious insight). And yet. It felt like a trap game. Trap games are games either after a big win (Issaquah), or just before a big game (Woodinville), that doesn't get the respect it deserves. Taken for granted. And therefore, mental focus isn't quite as sharp. Given the overall strength and parity in our league, the margins are very thin. Again, we prepared just as hard for Bothell as we did for Issaquah, we knew how good they were. They play tough, organized, disciplined, team-oriented soccer. and yet....we were...flat. Quiet. Distracted. Oddly disconnected.  

As head coach, it's my responsibility to prepare the team for each challenge. Find the right words, the right analysis, the right motivation, the right line-up or substitution pattern. And something in our preparation against Bothell, or my pre-game words, or our video-review session, clearly wasn't good enough. The coaches could feel it from the warm-ups. We were lackadaisical. Our finishing was poor. Our set-up passing was perfunctory, not crisp. Our back-four warm-up was flat-footed. It was all just a bit...off.  
   
Again, I can't emphasize this enough: Bothell's quality wasn't a surprise, we knew they were an excellent team, well coached and committed, and that they deserved our respect...and yet...trap game. 

And that's on me. 

There were positives. Despite the lackadaisical warm-up, once the opening whistle sounded, we worked hard. Our effort never wavered, and for that I'm thankful. Earnest effort will always give us a chance, even when we don't have our best stuff. We outshot Bothell 18/7, with a narrow 3/2 corner and 56% possession advantage. Statistically, we'd take those ratios every game. But in the end, Bothell caught us in the 9th minute with a quick throw-in. We got on the wrong side of our mark, their player charged into our box and cut back a great ball for their star player to finish from 12 yards...It was their first shot, and only one of two in the entire half (the next being a little stress-free dribbler in the 35th minute).  

And that was that. We created lots of chances. Enough to win the game. But we didn't. And that was frustrating. It was like we were trying to chop wood with a dull axe. We took the normal amount of swings to split the log in half, but we couldn't get the job done.

So now we recover and go again at defending Kingco league champs and 4A State Finalist Woodinville on Thursday (again, the quality of our league is relentless). It's a rare game in which JV and Varsity play simultaneously, one at the high school and the other at Pop Keeney. 

Our league playoff destiny is still in our control, but the gap has narrowed. We lead Liberty by 4pts with three games to play. A two game combination of wins by Bellevue, or losses by Liberty will secure us the #1 seed and a likely match-up with Mercer Island in the semi-finals. Regardless, our first game of the Kingco playoffs will be October 30th at Bellevue Stadium. And our second game of the Kingco playoffs will be on November 4th (with an optional game on Nov 8th that we don't want to play in, but will if required..).

The last turn in any race takes the most concentration and energy. Let's lock-in together and finish the regular season with quality and confidence.

Bellevue 3-1 Issaquah

43rd min 1-0  Mack (Saleen & Nora)
45min min 1-1 Issy goal
51st min 2-1 Saleen (Raina)
73rd min 3-1 Ava (unassisted wondergoal)

"Ambition is all well and good, but behind it comes suffering," 3x FIFA Ballon D'or and World-Player of the Year, Spain and Barcelona player Aitana Bonmati
Most everyone would prefer winning at things if given a choice, especially in a shared experience like a team sport when joy gets a multiplier from seeing your friends happy too. At the final whistle, I got to see that joyful multiplier as our team played their best game of the season to earn all three points against the previously undefeated and #1 ranked Issaquah Eagles.
The game had great energy from the beginning, as a very loud group of teenage boys spent much of the game heckling our players from the top of the home stands. When I was a player, I used to love opposition hecklers, and I still do. As long as it doesn't get crass, lewd, or inappropriate (admittedly a difficult thing to define), heckling is a great American sports tradition, and clever heckling can be funny, energizing, and is almost like performance art (a mix of passionate, ironic, partisan and witty). If you're a mentally tough player, opposition heckling is pure rocket fuel for competitive motivation. And our Bellevue team is very mentally tough. So we should probably thank the Issy boys for the boost, because that was one of our best games of the season. Vroom Vroom. Blast-off. Bring it on.  
The first half was very cagey as both teams feature balanced organization and sound defensive principles; however, both teams are also lightning quick in attack with plenty of talent that can conjure a goal from nothing. Competitive stalemate for 40 minutes and we entered halftime at 0-0. We had 4 shots, Issy had 3. That sounds boring, but it wasn't. Both teams crackled with potential energy, just looking for the right catalyst to explode into action. And just three minutes into the second half: boom boom. Nora intercepted an attempted entry pass into midfield from an Issaquah goal kick, cut inside to beat one defender, then slipped the ball to Saleen, who, man-marked the entire game by her Issaquah shadow (#5), one-touched a perfect pass back to Nora, who gave the ball back to Saleen running into the box on the right side. Saleen had been drawing a crowd all night, and the best tactic for dealing with a shadow is one-touch passing and quick movement into space. Which is why, when three defenders collapsed on Saleen as she received the ball from Nora, I was so impressed by her decision to slide a square ball through the forest of onrushing Eagles to a wide-open Mack and our junior captain finished from six yards to open the scoring 1-0 Bellevue. Superb team goal.

Unfortunately the lead didn't last long. Just two minutes later we were tied at 1-1. Issy is very good at cross-field diagonal switches, and we got caught slightly out of position as their speedy left fullback was set free by an excellent driven pass, and she in turn centered for Issy's busy striker who cushioned a lovely pass back to a trailing midfielder to smash home. It was a good goal from a good team. Deadlocked again at 1-1.  Then in the 65th minute, we scored a "worldie" team goal that started with tenacious D, as Talia, Raina and Nora swarmed a Issaquah player at midfield on the sideline (the perfect place for a double or triple team since the sideline acts like another defender) harassing her into a give-away after Nora stretched her entire body to get a toe poke on the ball towards Ava. Ava also stretched to drop the ball to Kendall, one-touch pass back to Nora, drop to Talia, simple pass up the line to Raina's feet, one-touch pass to Saleen...(we look so good when we are moving the ball quickly with one or two touches...)...who was able to lose her shadow with a swivel turn, create a half-a-yard of space between two charging center-backs and launch a master blaster from 25 yards into the upper left corner past a helpless goalkeeper. The noonday sun casts no shadow, and Saleen's finish was brilliant. Magnificent goal.  2-1 Bellevue.

Then with ten minutes left and clinging to a narrow lead, we made a subtle tactical change, shifting players into a tight 5-4-1 defensive formation...daring Issaquah to break down a block of 9 while leaving Raina up top for speedy counter-attacks. The intent was to soak up Issaquah pressure and release Raina into the big spaces as Issaquah inevitably pushed more players up into their attack. What I didn't expect was a wondergoal from our holding midfielders. Ava picked up the ball fifteen yards into our defensive half from an Issaquah header, and just ran straight at the Issaquah midfield. Then straight at the Issaquah defense. Then straight at the Issaquah goalkeeper. And suddenly the upper right corner of the goal was a bulging lightning bolt of joy as Ava wheeled away in celebration with a pack of pink-socked teammates chasing our freshmen for a group hug of victory. Extraordinary goal. 3-1 Bellevue. Final Score.

Final statistics were what I expected, 8/7 shots, 1/5 corners (Bellevue/Issy) with possession slightly in favor of the Eagles. A finely balanced, competitive tilt between two good teams that turned on one or two key moments of quality.  

The post-game celebration felt great, but what I was so proud of was the way we earned that celebration. It was a team effort, made even more significant because we've entered the part of the season when hurt is part of the process. Sore muscles. Bumps and bruises. Swollen ankles. twinges and tweaks. Our sport is competitive. And physical. Collisions happen. And so some hurt is inevitable. Mack scored our opening goal, but just 12 hours earlier Mack was getting treatment and unsure about selection. Nora's legs are more KT tape than skin, but her effort, determination, and competitive desire is relentless. Saleen's shadow did her best to kick lumps out of our #12 (not dirty, but certainly very aggressive), and despite being dumped to the turf over and over, Saleen got back up every time and pressed twice as hard. Raina took a several hard challenges that left her briefly hobbled...and got back up and carried on. Kasia is always willing to scrap (fairly), and never backs down. Ava initiated somewhere between five and five thousand tackles in midfield, giving as good as she got, always looking forward to the next opportunity to tussle. Paris routinely found herself matched against a center back twice her size who wasn't shy about hip-checking, but Paris endured every hip, clip, and blip and kept going. Katelyn, Maggie, Kendall, Talia, and Aanya were stalwart, repelling attacks in the second half as Issy pressed for an equalizer, never once giving-up even though legs were weary and sore. Everyone did their job, and surely everyone likely is feeling a bit of soreness and hurt. It's part of our game. And our girls are revealing their toughness with every new challenge.  

All of this is why I love Bonmati's quote so much that opened this recap. She's the best player in the world, has won everything there is to win in women's professional soccer, and she highlights the toughness and suffering that is the investment on the joyful returns at the end of big games. There is no easy way. Just toughness, perseverance, and almost always enduring a bit of hurt. But the joyful payoff is worth it. Hard-earned achievement.  

Am I advocating for playing injured? Absolutely not. Injuries need to be respected and cared for (especially head injuries)...but hurt, hurt can be overcome. The discernment between the two is an important skill that should be supported by medical professionals and the experience of knowing your own body's limitations and signals. We play through the hurt, but rehab, rest, and recover from our injuries.  

There is now only two weeks left in our regular season. Four games. Next week we play two teams now tied for first place in our league (thanks to our Issy victory): Bothell and Woodinville. Hopefully this weekend we get three full days of rest and recovery with lots of fluids, stretching, and sleep. Because next week we go again. Keeping calm, and carrying on.

With the win vs Issy, and Inglemoor's loss, we have now clinched one of the top two seeds in the 3A Kingco tournament that begins the week of Oct27th. Our first game will be at home on Thursday, Oct 30th. Against who? Well our results over the next two weeks will determine that detail. 

Thank you for the tremendous road support we got last night from the away stands. 

Bellevue 4-0 North Creek

24th min 1-0 Saleen (Emerson)
38th min 2-0 Kasia (Ava) from corner
65th min 3-0 Saleen (Nora)
79th min 4-0 Kasia (Maggie)

Just before kick-off in our game against the visiting Jaguars of North Creek, I brought our roster to the referees and engaged in the usual pre-game chit chat...and...spent the next 5 minutes crowded around the referees phone watching the Mariners secure their game 3 win over Detroit in the ALDS. Then I walked across the field to welcome the North Creek team and coaching staff, and their assistant coach, unprompted, said, "Mariners won!!" and we exchanged high fives. Add this to the pile of evidence of why I love sport. At its best, it can be a connective tissue of culture and society (like music, art, etc.). It brings people together regardless of background or politics. Even if those people are about to compete against each other in the high stakes world of high school soccer. 

And then the soccer started. Despite a clear possession advantage and several scoring attempts early, it wasn't until the 24th minute that Emerson took a free kick from deep in our defensive third, a perfectly weighted long ball 50 yards to our right wing, that Saleen ran onto dancing around several defenders, before depositing the ball at the near post. 1-0 Bellevue. In the 38th minute, Ava took a superb inswinging corner and we finally had a willing far post volunteer for headers, with Kasia smashing it on goal not once, but twice for our first team header goal of the season. Excellent way to finish the half. 2-0 Bellevue. 

Overall, our pivot midfielders, Ava & Nora, were awesome against NC, smothering most Jaguar attempts to link play through the center of the pitch. And in the 65th minute, it was Nora who anticipated a cut inside by the North Creek midfielder, stepped into the tackle with conviction, and won the ball with a single touch to a waiting Saleen who was only 30yards from goal. Quick transitions can be devastating for defenses, and the North Creek backline got caught flat-footed as Saleen slalomed through the center backs and beat the keeper with a deft shot to the far post. 3-0 Bellevue.   

Finally, with almost the last kick of the ball in the 79th minute, Maggie won the ball at center back and burst forward into midfield. Center-backs who are technical and confident enough to bring the ball into midfield are a nightmare for a defending team. It creates an imbalance, and so one of the defenders peeled away from their normal positioning to confront Maggie, and Maggie wisely passed into the gap the defender abandoned towards a fleet-footed Kasia, who out-paced the remaining center-back and finished with the coolest, simple, low, firm shot past the onrushing keeper. Textbook finish. The most difficult finishes, when done well, look simple afterwards. And 4-0 final score to Bellevue. 

The game statistics were eerily similar to our game at Eastlake: 32 / 5 shots and 5 / 2 corners for Bellevue / North Creek with our team maintaining a 57% possession advantage.

Getting critical after a domineering 4-0 win is likely a fool's errand, but I'll play the fool: our first half wasn't very good. We were a fraction slow in our decision making: our pass vs. dribble vs. shoot decisions in the attacking third need to be much better. What do I mean? We are forcing shots when we should pass, we are passing when we should dribble/shoot, or we are dribbling when we should pass or recycle, and after dribbling a bit, we then try to force the pass that was initially "on"...that is no longer "on." Teaching the technical work on how to pass, dribble, or shoot is relatively easy, teaching decision-making is more challenging. It's the grammar rules that enables poetry. It's like teaching a student the notes and scales on a piano, and then expecting that same student to compose a symphony. There is an intuition or art to building good team-decision-making in possession. A rhythm. Again, we weren't terrible against North Creek, this team gives full effort every time we step on the field. We just weren't very sharp. And our decision-making was just slightly...off. We were playing chopsticks when this team has the talent to play Mozart (or Jon Batiste? or even Billy Joel).   

The optimist viewpoint is that good teams still get results even when they aren't playing their best. So let's go with that. Our second half WAS better than our first even though the scoring was evenly distributed. Good victory, and on to the next.  

On Thursday, we travel to Issaquah (for the second consecutive season, sigh), to play the 5-time state champion Eagles. First place in Kingco, and the #1 ranked 4A team in the state by RPI. It will be a challenge, but I know we'll be ready. See you then.

Peter 
     
ps. Well done to Hailee in her varsity debut last night. We like to reward good play on JV with varsity call-ups, and Hailee has been excellent all season and earned her opportunity. 

pps. Last game I praised the Eastlake keeper...but last night was even better because the North Creek keeper had herself a game. Easily the best we've faced (with apologies to the LW duo?) with one spectacular diving save after another. Stellar play whether it's from our team or the opposition deserves a shout out. Well done North Creek keeper. And again, like last week, I emphasize that both coaches were proud of their respective keepers after the game, as Katelyn came up with big saves against the few shots she faced to keep the momentum with our team. Good goalkeeping is the cornerstone of any successful team.         

Bellevue 5-0 Eastlake
​
11th min Ava (Saleen)
35th Saleen PK
39th Saleen (Kasia)
68th Saleen (unassisted)
75th Raina (unassisted)

In our third game of the season, we traveled to Crusader Way and played Eastside Catholic, and had one of our better games of the season. A week after that, we drove to Spartan Way next door to EC to secure a last-minute victory over Skyline. On Thursday night, the bus entered Wolfpack Way, the last of the three adjacent high school campuses on the Sammamish Plateau. Needless to say, I had a good feeling about how the game would go. The Plateau has been very good to this team this year. 

And so it went. A comprehensive 5-0 victory in which we outshot the Eastlake Wolves 35-5, with a 8-1 corner advantage, and over 58% possession. It's rare to compliment an opposition goalkeeper after winning 5-0; however, the Eastlake goalie had an amazing night, making several acrobatic and brave challenges that kept the Wolves in the game. Equal to that compliment was our own goalkeeper, Katelyn, who only faced five shots, but stayed sharp all night, preserving our shutout (and coach cartwheel) with a fantastic full-stretch finger-tip save. I'm not sure which is more challenging, facing 35 shots and allowing only 5 goals, or facing 5 shots and never allowing the net to bulge, but in both cases, I know that the respective coaches were proud of their keeper.

We opened the scoring in the 11th minute, as Paris combined with Saleen at the top of the Eastlake box (simple square ball to feet), and the resulting shot was spilled by the Wolves' goalkeeper and Ava reacted quickest, poking the ball home from 4 yards. 1-0 Bellevue. In the 35th minute, we earned three consecutive corners, the first two of which were conventional crosses cleared by the defense. So we trying something different for the third, as Paris and Saleen took a short corner, dribbled into the box, and was promptly fouled. Saleen finished the PK smartly and it was 2-0 Bellevue.  Just a few minutes later we added our third, Paris opened up the field with an excellent cross-field switch to her opposite winger, Kasia. Kasia controlled and sent her second touch pass into space for Saleen. Two touches, shot, and it was 3-0 Bellevue. Gorgeous team goal with accurate, quick passing and lethal finishing. And a very well-earned hat-trick for our junior captain.  

At halftime, we rotated the roster and maintained consistent pressure on the Eastlake goal. In the 68th minute, after only being on the field for a minute in the second half, Saleen had her hat-trick after a sumptuous slalom through five Eastlake defenders before a cheeky finish at the near post. Raina added her own powerful run and finish in the 75th minute, outracing the entire Wolves defense from midfield before slotting the ball at the far post. 5-0 Bellevue. Final Score.

It was an excellent end to a competitive week. I even did an awkward cartwheel to celebrate the shutout. It's difficult to lose games if you don't allow the other team to score. Well done to everyone. Defense isn't just played by defenders and goalkeepers (IMO), it's a team commitment that requires everyone to do their job, from "resting back" in good shape, maintaining excellent balance, good cover angles, and being brave in the tackle and challenging in the air. Yes, our positional defenders, and goalkeeper, were great, but it was a collective team effort. Long may that continue.  

Next week we host North Creek on Tuesday, before traveling to Issauqah to face the league-leading, and #1-ranked 4A Eagles on Thursday.  If I squint at a map, I can almost convince myself that the Issaquah campus is somehow adjacent to the other three. I have a good feeling about next week.   

Enjoy Homecoming weekend. See you next week.

Bellevue 0-2 LW

55th min LW goal from striker
65th min LW goal from corner OG

"Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday."  --Wilma Ruduoph

...and so we pick ourselves up and prepare to go again on Thursday against Eastlake. 

When I found that quote from Wilma Ruduoph (worth a background read if you don't know her story...remarkable woman and athlete), I honestly rankled a bit at the "learning how to lose" part of this sentiment. As you might have guessed, I'm a very competitive person. As a former player, current coach, and even during holiday board game sessions, I really prefer to avoid losses of any kind; however, I do believe in trying new things, experimenting, and those tendancies naturally come with failure. Then learning. Then improvement over time. And that's how we'll treat our loss to LW.    

Also in the "learning how to lose" category: I definitely believe in common decency, respect, and decorum..which to me means that if we do experience a hard loss, we conduct ourselves appropriately. With honor and grace: look your opposing team in the eye after the game, respectfully shake their hands (or fist bump in a post-pandemic world), and awknowledge the referees. Which we did. I was proud of how our girls conducted themselves after the game. Well done.     

We have had a long and sometimes tumultuous rivalry with Lake Washington. We met for several years in a row, '21-'23 in the 3A Kingco Championship game (all won by our Wolverines in very tight contests, including PKs in '22). But two years ago, during state-wide reclassification, LW moved from 3A to 4A as their school grew bigger. LW's coaching staff turned-over, and our rivalry went from a competitive boil to a respectful simmer. The point is, they are a very good program that has been competitive for years now. And this is the best LW team we have played against since their State Championship in 2019 (they beat Bellevue in the state final that year). They play excellent team defense, feature a very experienced striker, tenacious midfielders, and very tricky and speedy wingers. Also they have 12 seniors. Who, until tonight, had never beaten Bellevue.  

Which is why their celebrations after our game were so exuberant. We've been their "bogey" team in recent history, and it feels good to finally beat a rival. So kudos to the Kangs, they earned their victory; 

Overall, the game was very finely balanced. We would create a flurry of chances, and then LW would wrest control of the game and pin us in our defensive third until it would teeter-totter back again. The statistics reveal what it felt like on the sidelines: 9/7 vs. 7/2 shots/corners for Bellevue/LW. And an almost perfect 50/50 possession split.  

The first half was cagey and tactical with only a few shots created by either team. A midfield stalemate as both teams poked and prodded the opposing defense looking for a weakness to exploit. To start the second half, we grabbed the momentum and created several excellent chances, dominating the first 15 minutes of the second half, including a fierce shot at the near post from Saleen that drew an excellent save from the LW keeper. We were close several times to an opening goal, but it wasn't to be. And if you allow a good opponent like LW to hang around too long, the game can shift beneath you in an instant. The opening LW goal came from nowhere in the 55th minute. An innocuous throw-in deep in our end. We had the numbers back, and the proper cover, but suffered from a rare moment of miscommunication as two of our defenders thought the other one would clear the throw-in; instead, nobody did. Next, the ball squirted through yet another Bellevue defender that had a chance to possess and clear, and the LW winger accepted our gift and squared to LW's striker, who wasn't going to miss from six yards. 0-1 LW.  

The goal energized the Kangs who began to pile up the pressure in our own end. But we were battling hard and launching dangerous counter-attacks with the final result far from determined. But then in the 65th minute, LW got the insurance goal they wanted as a back-post corner deflected off of a Bellevue defender for an own goal. It happens. If you play defender long enough, at a high enough level, you will eventually experience the full roster of frustrating misfortune: deflected own goals, fouls for PKs, accidental hand-balls...it happens. I've experienced them all myself as a player. Nothing to do but "goldfish" the moment (short memory) until we get the opportunity to review the video carefully, note what we could've done better, and improve for next time.    

The second LW goal, especially how it was scored, deflated the game. We had a few more chances (Kendall with a great shot from a corner scrum narrowly missing...), but the final whistle was 0-2 for LW.

A loss stings, but in the hurly burly grind of high school soccer, we have an opportunity to learn from the experience and go again in less than 48 hours as we travel to Eastlake. It's more fun to take lessons from a victory, but more memorable in defeat. We have the experience of one side of that equation so far this week, let's balance it out on the other.

And let's not forget the ending of Wilma's quote...if we take our lessons in defeat, then..."you are going to be a champion someday."  Let's make someday happen soon.

Bellevue 4-0 Inglemoor

1st min Saleen (Ava)
9th min Mack (Nora)
15th min Mack (Paris)
54th min Paris (Nora)

I'm a soccer guy. Through and through. As a longtime player, a coach, and an avid fan. But, equally as important to who I am, later in life I've become a devoted horse dad (equestrian eventing), cheer dad (all-star cheer), and a golf dad (from AJGA to high school). 

Probably like a lot of parents with their firstborn, I thought my son would naturally inherit my personal interests and pursue soccer as his sporting passion. And he did play on his neighborhood team. But on one random Saturday afternoon when he was 7 or 8, I took him to the driving range for an hour of fun and distraction. I wasn't really a golfer, but I had my father's hand-me-down 15-year-old clubs for us to share. The shortest club in my bag was the pitching wedge, so I let him hack away with it. Mostly taking divots rather than hitting the ball. By happenstance, an old pro by the name of Bill Tindall was at the range that day. He saw my son flailing away with my adult-sized wedge and gave him a few simple tips: how to hold the club, how to shift and rotate his body properly, etc. All simple stuff that as a soccer guy I didn't know. After a few minutes of steady improvement, Bill told my son he would be right back and he walked to the range parking lot and popped the trunk of his car. He returned with a full bag of Ping Junior golf clubs and handed them to my son, saying "Son, these clubs were my grandson's, but he outgrew them. I've been waiting to find a kid to take care of them for me. So I want you to have them. But you have to promise to come back here and practice a bit, and we'll talk about golf." And with that simple act of kindness and generosity, my son became a golfer. Totally hooked. And I became a golf dad destined to attend countless junior golf tournaments as caddy, nervous spectator, or mere transportation. I never had to persuade him to practice or beg him to go to the course with me. It was his thing, and he loved it. All thanks to the kindness of a stranger. 

And now I'm a devoted (addicted?) golf guy too. Which is why I'm writing this recap at 4am the night after a comprehensive win against Inglemoor, watching the first shots of the Ryder Cup (a traditional [currently over-hyped and over-commercialized] team golf competition between the USA and Europe). 

The lesson learned? The kindness of a stranger has led me to set absurd alarms at 4am. 

But at 4am, years after being a mediocre and ignorant caddy at junior golf tournaments, I'm in a rapid-fire text conversation with my son who lives in San Francicso and is also awake and fixated on the golf. Thanks Bill Tindall. 🙂 Sincerely.    

But back to my first love and BGS. I was wary before kick-off of the infamous "let down" game after a big win. Defeating Skyline at their home field with a last-second goal was an emotional high, and standards declining a little is a common aftereffect. Our team looked loose during pre-game. Relaxed. Too relaxed? 

I needn't have worried. From the opening kick-off, Emerson hit her best long-ball of the year to a sprinting Kasia deep in the Inglemoor third and we were on the "front foot." Just seconds later, Ava slipped a simple, direct pass into space for Saleen to run onto in the Inglemoor penalty box, and no extra touches required as our Junior Captain slipped the ball past the onrushing keeper with a first-time shot. The best passes are those merely sent in the general direction of a teammate, but hit with the proper pace, roll, and accuracy so that the receiving teammate has easy options...and Ava's pass was one of those. 1-0 Bellevue in the first minute. In the 9th minute, we added another, as Saleen dropped a ball to Nora, and our Senior Captain hit a one-touch pass into the space that Saleen had just vacated and where Mack had made a clever probing run. Classy finish beneath the onrushing keeper, and it was 2-0. At the 15-minute mark, we staked ourselves an unassailable lead, as Mack earned her brace with a long-range floating shot that fell perfectly into the far corner of the net after a simple drop-back pass from Paris. 3-0 Bellevue. 

It would've been easy to downshift our intensity for the remainder of the game, but I was proud that we kept playing organized, pressing, free-flowing soccer. No let-up in quality, just a calculated rotation of tired legs as we used the balance of our time to test new player combinations and roles. Our final goal didn't arrive until the 54th minute as Nora found Paris' feet on the right side with an excellent entry pass, and our sophomore winger blasted the ball into the upper right corner from 25 yards. 4-0 Bellevue. Final score. Cartwheels from the coach for a shutout. Statistics: 26/3 and 5/1 shots/corners for Bellevue/Inglemoor. A comprehensive victory. 

All sport is an awesome absurdity. But it is a wonderful pursuit that has the power to create or reinforce lasting memories and relationships. It's a common language. A pre-game circle of teenagers, arms around each other's shoulders, shouting "woo" to the night sky or a wonderfully complicated handshake between sophomores before running out for the anthem. At its best, it's a social glue. For parents, their kids, their teammates, fellow supporters, crepe-making grandparents...or between an impressionable kid and an old pro showing kindness on a driving range. 

But beware the unintended consequences, you might be up at 4am someday texting furiously about how Morikawa and English are the worst possible pairing for alt-shot golf.

Rest up. Another big week upcoming as we host the undefeated 7-0 Lake Washington Kangeroos before traveling to Eastlake.  

Peter

PS. The first RPI ranking of the year was just released. Your Bellevue Wolverines are currently #4 for 3A. I'll write more at a later date on how we don't put much value on being ranked highly at the mid-point of the season, or how the RPI overly favors decent teams in mediocre leagues versus excellent teams in strong leagues, but it's still nice to see a top 4 ranking next to our name. Long may it continue. (and guess who has played the most difficult schedule so far in 3A based on OWP (opponent's winning percentage)? us again.)

Bellevue 2-1 Skyline

3rd min Skyline goal from corner
65th min Skyline red card
70th min 1-1 Saleen (Elina)
78th min 2-1 Saleen (Paris)

Last summer, I read an article about Russ "Hardest Geezer" Cook, an Englishman who is the first person to run the length of Africa, almost 10,000 miles over 352 days. I'm always drawn in by these seemingly absurd pursuits of endurance, bravery, and extreme looniness (and isn't all sport this, if we boil it down it its essense...🙂). But the lesson and laugh that stuck with me after reading about it was this quote by Cook in the Guardian: 

During Cook's feat he ran through rainforests, across mountain ranges, and traversed the Sahara. On day 200, he reduced his daily mileage on doctors' advice in Nigeria. "“I took a couple of days to get some scans. No bone damage so figured the only option left was to stop mincing about like a little weasel...and zombie stomp road again." 

Uh, ok. Russ.

Am I about to compare running 10k miles through rainforests and deserts to girls high school soccer? Yes. Yes I am. Because being tired, hurting, sore, and mentally exhausted is part of anything worth pursuing, and the payoffs of joy, camaraderie, accomplishment, and character growth all grow from the seeds of hard work and perseverance. And an unshakable spirit of positivity. 

And so we traveled to Skyline, home of the 7-time 4A State Champions, for our second Kingco league game of the year. Similar to our program, Skyline had a big graduating class last season, but also like Bellevue, their program is also deep and talented. They were unbeaten in their previous five games this season and had mostly cruised to multiple-goal wins. They are well-coached, organized, physical, athletic, and excellent at set-pieces. A year ago, we entered Spartan Stadium confident and ready to play...and were 0-3 down after less than 15 minutes. So my final words during pre-game were about beginning the game with focus and "locking-in" mentally for the inevitable press of the first few minutes. Well, that didn't work. After 3 minutes, Skyline earned a corner and scored a beautifully worked header, flicked expertly to the far post. In rewatching the video, yes, we got on the wrong side of some Skyline runs in our marking assignments, but it was a quality goal scored by a quality team. Hat tip. It happens. But Deja Vu, in the first three minutes. Sigh. 

And for the next 25 minutes, Skyline pressed hard to add to their lead and secure an early coup de grace. Mostly one-way traffic in our defensive third. Against good opposition, there will be times in a game when you need to weather a storm of pressure. Every player gets energized by postitive forward looking ball-control sparkling soccer...but when the other team has you pinned, it's just hard work, discipline, and perseverance. The rewards are in the little things: blocked shots. poking the ball away during a dangerous dribble into a dangerous area...challenging for headers even if you don't win it...and most importantly, a goalkeeper who put on her magic ball-stopper gloves for this game. Katelyn was outstanding throughout, but we really needed her to weather the early Skyline storm, and she stepped-up. Punched crosses, diving finger-tip saves, calm distribution. A confident goalkeeper makes an entire defense more confident. A second Skyline goal early in the game would've been very difficult to overcome. But we held steady. We endured. And the momentum began to shift. Slowly at first, but then all at once. We began to earn corners. We began to switch play and attack their fullbacks at pace. By halftime it was still 0-1 to the home team, but it was clear in our huddle that we knew we were in the game. We were down on the scoreboard, but certainly not out. 40 more minutes. Anything can happen in 40 minutes.

From watching video in preparation, one area in which we thought we could catch Skyline out was in quick transitions and counter-attacks. Skyline is so eager to press and get forward that they sometimes leave gaps at the back if you can counter quickly enough. And so at practice this week, we worked on transitions and finishing breakaways. Not boot ball tactics...but a more direct opportunistic pass to feet in dangerous areas where we could bypass their organized midfield. This is foreshadowing.

We maintained the momentum we had at the end of the first half and continued to create excellent chances while mostly stifling the Skyline attack. And then the game changed in the 65th minute. Ava won the ball at midfield with a strong challenge and immediately released Saleen in space on the left. Quick transition. Simple ball into space. And Saleen had only one defender to beat running full speed at goal. Breakaway.

The defender had a split-second choice to make: attempt a tackle before Saleen got into the box or risk a penalty or 1v1 with her keeper if she waited a moment too long. She took the risk of an early tackle and fouled Saleen at the top of the box. Hard. DOGSO (soccer rule that stands for "Denial of Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity") and an immediate justified red card. I briefly lost my temper (which I'm not proud of) as I saw Saleen in pain at the top of the box from the challenge, but once I regained my sense of reason, it wasn't a dirty play. Just a hard foul. I don't believe the Skyline defender was trying to hurt anyone, it's just part of our game, and it could be argued that it was a very reasonable soccer choice (trading a red card, and a free kick from outside the box, and a one-player disadvantage with less than 15 minutes left in a tight game versus a 1v1 on goal or penalty kick is a trade-off that many coaches would gladly accept). But it did dramatically change the game.

Because five minutes later, we had our equalizer. It began with great defense, as Emerson (who was an unshakeable granite rock cornerstone of our backline all night) chased down the Skyline winger, won the ball, and kept possession when many defenders might have conservatively kicked the ball out of bounds, and then switched play to a wide-open Elina on the right side. Elina's first touch was into the space in front of her, and her second was a direct, lovely, perfect diagonal ball over the Skyline defense, where only Saleen could get it. This time, there was no foul at the top of the box, as Saleen shoulder-dropped the last defender and calmly deposited the ball into the net at the near post. 1-1 in the 70th minute. 

And then the real drama happened. With less than two minutes in regulation, Paris one-touched a volley from a Skyline goal kick to Saleen's feet. Quick transition. Simple, but direct pass from Paris. Saleen took a single touch to the inside and launched a 30 yard rocket into the Skyline net before the defense could re-organize. 2-1 Bellevue. Second game in a row with a dramatic late goal to change the outcome of the contest. Jubilation. Celebration. And a full three points earned at Spartan Stadium, a very rare occurrence. Final statistics: 16/3 vs. 13/4 shots/corners Bellevue/Skyline. Essentially even in creating chances across the game. We did enjoy a 55% possession advantage, but again, possession doesn't always translate to creating good chances. Both teams created good chances. The game was a see-saw, with the final outcome decided by a few late moments: red card, quick transitions, and a wondergoal at the end.  

And now we move on to host one of only two remaining 3A Kingco teams in our league schedule: Inglemoor. Since Kingco playoff seeding is done by classification, getting results against Inglemoor and Liberty takes on extra significance (a classic "six-pointer" as they would declare in the EPL: earning three points while denying three points to a rival = "six-pointer"). After a hard-fought win against Skyline, our legs and bodies will likely be sore, tired, with aches and pains. And we have to go again less than 48 hours later. So to quote the Hardest Geezer, 

"... so [I] figured the only option left was to stop mincing about like a little weasel...and zombie stomp road again."    

To be fair, this team has never minced about. It's a tough group. 

We'll be ready to zombie stomp again on Thursday. 

Peter

Final Notes:
Thank you for the support at Skyline. The enthusiasm for this team from the stands is very energizing for our girls. Just remember to keep referee criticism at a low boil. Overall, IMO the center last night was very good, yes, he made a few calls I disagreed with, but he got all of the big calls right and kept the game in control and free-flowing. Crowd participation: Loud? yes. Enthusiastic? yes. Supportive? always. Funny? sure, why not? Directly critical or personal to ref? please no, referee management is my job.

Air quality was an issue at Skyline. At JV kick-off the AQI hovered just below a cancellation. ADs from both schools were in direct communication and closely monitored the situation. By the varsity game, the cool evening air and slight breeze had improved conditions. But it's a good reminder to always remember inhalers if you need them. Also, we increased our substitution rotation pattern in the first half against Skyline to give lungs a break. Smoke season is a thing. We'll take it seriously.

Jeez, these are getting longer. thank you for making it to the end if you did....

Bellevue 1-1 2OT Mt. Si
​
42nd min 0-1 Mt. Si goal
79th min 1-1 Saleen PK
 
No movie title pun runs this recap. I promise. but...
 
"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then"  --Alice in Wonderland
 
A year ago, we made the trip to Mt. Si to play the league-leading Wildcats, and despite outplaying them for most of the game, returned home with a humbling 0-3 defeat. But, paraphrasing Lewis Carroll, we were a different person then. And despite fielding a very different team from a year ago, we experienced eerily similar conditions, as the Mt. Si stadium, already one of the firmest and bouncy surfaces in the league due to being built on stilts to protect against periodic flooding, got progressively slicker as the evening dew made trapping and possession more challenging. It's like a bridge in winter, the first surface to get slippery as the temperatures plummet. It got curiouser and curiouser as the evening got chillier and the turf got slicker and more difficult to play on. Mt. Si's tactics take advantage of their unique home field conditions: they are direct, good-in-the-air, fast, and physical, daring opponents to build out of the back, and willing to chase and run after every entry pass hit into the defensive third. And because their field conditions are condusive for an error-prone fast-break by either team, they position their last defender 15 yards behind the play like a Seahawks free safety in prevent defense, or an old-school Franz Beckenbauer "sweeper" from the 1974 World Cup. So the game was a mad hatter scramble for 80 minutes, and it felt like whichever team converted a set piece or managed a toe poke in a dangerous area would likely get a result. Unless...you play absolutely committed, organized, and disciplined defense. Which we did. I'm proud of the team for the effort displayed. It was scoreless at halftime after a tightly contested 40 minutes in which both teams had plenty of chances to open the scoring, and both goalkeepers had to make good saves. We were playing solid, if not sparkling soccer, but I was optimistic that our possession advantage in midfield would eventually tip the scales in our favor. Therefore, the Mt. Si goal in the 42nd minute was unfortunate, a bit of a surprise, and a direct result of the slippery conditions described above. So suddenly we had to chase the game.
 
We applied the necessary pressure and created a lot of scoring opportunities, but the Wildcats goalkeeper is the reigning Kingco goalkeer of the year from last season, and she made a series of remarkable saves to deny an equalizer. Finally, with less than a minute left in regulation we earned a corner and pushed everyone into the box in a desperate attempt to equalize...Saleen took the corner, it was headed back to her by a Mt. Si defender...and our Junior talisman drove into the box, juked past two defenders and was promptly hacked down before she got a shot away. Penalty. "How long is forever" asked Alice and the White Rabbit replied, "sometimes, just one second." The second between Saleen going down and the referee pointing to the spot and blowing his whistle felt like forever but was probably only a second. Saleen bravely stepped up, and deposited the ball into the back of the net against one of the best goalkeepers in our league. 1-1 Tie. 
 
Final whistle soon followed, but wait, not the "final" final whistle, because this was a Kingco League game and in our league, we play two 5 minute overtime periods if tied at the end of regulation. Do I like regular season overtime? Not really, I vote against it every year in our coaches meetings. IMO regular season ties should be ties, like in every soccer league in the world. And no team needs extra regular season minutes in the grind of high school soccer with two games in 48 hours. But this is Kingco High School soccer, so we play overtime. Just because. And five minutes is the opposite of forever contianed in the White Rabbit's single second, it's lightning quick. And...we had the best chance in overtime as Paris and Saleen executed a perfect give-and-go in the Wildcat box and Paris' shot narrowly missed going in at the near post. But it was not to be. 1-1 Final, final score. 
 
Given that we were 60 seconds from a frustrating 0-1 loss, we'll take the point and move on. 
 
We are now four weeks into our season, a third of our games have been played, and so I gave our team a day off. The sniffles were mostly gone last night, but not entireley. So three days of rest and recovery seemed prudent. 
 
Next week we travel to Skyline on Tuesday, before returning home to play one of just two remaining games against a 3A opponent (schools of a similar size to Bellevue), as we welcome Inglemoor to Bellevue Stadium on Thursday. I'll have more to write about why this is the case in our next recap...the reasons make no more sense than Alice falling into Wonderland.  
 
But as the Gryphon wisely pointed out to the Mock Turtle, "No no. The Adventures first!  Explanations take such a dreadful time."  
 
So onto more adventures on the soccer field next week, my explanations already take such a dreadful time. 

​Bellevue 1-1 Seattle Prep
 
59th min 1-0 Saleen (Paris)
65th min 1-1 Prep goal
 
In the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the rogue heroes are bruised, bloody, exhausted, and unbeknownst to them, cornered by an army of armed lawmen waiting for them to emerge from their shelter. But Butch and Sundance, ignoring their aches, pains, and bullet-hole injuries, muster the courage to charge into the open to fight their way out of trouble...it takes courage and collective mental toughness to feel physically terrible, and still stand up and charge the opposition. During our warm-up before our game versus defending 3A State Champs Seattle Prep, there were moments I thought The Chase would be A Bridge Too Far.  As a team, The Way We Were, was sick. Ill. sniffling. red-eyed. It wasn't unexpected, every year by week two or three of a season the wave of illness descends like A River Runs Through It, as every virus, bug, and infection gets shared around the high school as students return from summer and are Up Close and Personal with each other. But this year has been extreme. During practice before the Prep game on Monday we had ten players, and I soon discovered that most of the ten healthy players were like Roy Hobbs in The Natural, putting on a brave face when actually in a great deal of pain (and sniffles). This isn't an excuse, because every high school program goes through this "sickness season" every year, but it doesn't take a Legal Eagle to understand that we weren't going to be at full strength against the visiting Panthers. I approached my pre-game words like a Horse Whisperer, trying to find the right tone with a team that clearly didn't feel like Ordinary People. We were struggling. I emphasized that "adreneline" is amazing, and all we could do, is do our best to ignore our symptoms, and like the Great Gatsby, fake it until you make it...Convince yourself that you're ready and able, even if it's just for the next 80 minutes. A projection of strength is sometimes enough, we would play like Lions even if we felt like Lambs. And so we did. We laced up our Sneakers, and took the field like The Great Waldo Pepper: brave, debonaire, and committed.      
 
(RIP Robert Redford [ask your parents]). 
 
The actual game ebbed and flowed all night. Prep would enjoy a period of possession and create a few chances, then our team would wrest control of the tempo and have our own extended moments of good play and narrow misses on goal. It was 0-0 at halftime, but both teams had come close to opening the scoring. We finally broke through in the 59th minute, as Tara won the ball at midfield, poked the ball to Ava who sent a looping switch towards Paris on the right wing. Paris took a remarkable first touch that spun her defender before laying off a simple square ball to Saleen who calmly passed the ball past a motionless keeper. 1-0 Bellevue and well deserved. But unfortunately, the lead didn't last long as in the 65th minute, Prep equalized with a quality goal. Their dangerous #13 picked up our attempted clearance 25 yards from goal, ran laterally with the ball at the top of our box before creating a half-yard of space that was enough to blast a left-footed rocket into the upper left corner of the net. Tied at 1-1. And that's how it would finish. Although we would twice rattle the woodwork (Raina smashing the right post with a volley from a corner kick, and Aanya firing an extraordinary left-footed howitzer that smashed the crossbar), Prep also had a few solid chances as Katelyn had to make a full-stretch finger-tip diving save to preserve the points late in the contest.  
 
Without exaggeration, Prep and Bellevue have fielded the most consistently competitive 3A teams over the last ten years. Both teams have won multiple State Championships during that time, often meeting in later rounds to spoil the party for the other team. All but two games between the two varsity programs have ended in ties in regulation (of course, one win for each), with playoff shootouts often being the only separator (again, one win apiece) and a very similar 0-0 non-conference draw last season. Ties always feel a bit "meh," and we should never ever go into a game trying to share points, but the end-result was probably a representative one (even though the defender's hand to the face of Saleen in the box after our first goal is often given as a PK and would've changed the contest to a likely 2-0 advantage...but it was not intentional so it's a judgement call by the referee...and our center was mostly excellent all night..so we accept it and move on).  
 
The statistics support the action: Bellevue's 19 shots/ 6 corners to 14 shots/ 1 corners for Prep. We completed 191 passes to Prep's 155, and our pass success rate was 68% to 62%. Not a dead heat, but not lopsided by any means.
 
Beyond the result and the statistics, I couldn't be more proud of how we battled last night when I knew how we collectively felt. So many players came into a very tight competitive game and gave us great minutes when we really needed it.  Our "12s" have a very difficult assignment, they all want to play more minutes (I get it, they should all want more minutes...but it is a "zero sum" problem and my responsibility to allocate), but need to be prepared for the role the team needs, which is more opportunistic and without a lot of notice. And every player who stepped on the field last night did their job, even if in only limited minutes. Well done.    
 
And with that, our non-conference schedule is complete. The remainder of our regular season schedule will be against Kingco opponents. I'll save the analysis on what that means for a later update, but for now, all we need to know is that we face a very good Mt. Si program on Thursday at their home field. 
 
Thank you for the support from the stands, and incidentally, I love the energy of our pre-game announcing. Thank you. 
 
Peter 
 
ps. The Sting is probably my favorite Redford movie, and I didn't even quote it above...you're welcome. 🙂

Bellevue 5-2 EC

2nd min 1-0 Saleen PK
36th min 1-1 EC Freekick
43rd min 1-2 EC goal
52nd min 2-2 Saleen PK
54th min 3-2 Raina (Saleen)
70th min 4-2 Paris (Saleen)
76th min 5-2 Ava (Raina)
 
20-5, 4-1.  
 
Those were the numbers my college soccer coach wrote on a white-board in our locker-room before the first game of my sophomore season. With no explanation. Did it mean that our #20 needed to mark their #5, or that our #1 goalkeeper needed to be aware of their #4 from the left? Or was there something special about the 20th minute, when we would shift into a back 5 defensive formation? 
 
And then our coach explained the challenge that the numbers represented: if across the entire regular season, if our team averaged 20 shots per game while allowing only 5 against, and earn 4 corners versus 1 for our opponents...then we'd win a lot of games and be in a position to achieve something special. We would trust the win probabilities that come from a big statistical advantage.   
 
Yes, I'm aware that is obvious. And there is a bit of "tail wagging dog" focusing on the statistics rather than the underlying performance that generates those statistics, but for our particular team it crystallized our mission: generate offense as often as we could (20 shots per game is A LOT!), and do whatever it took to prevent shots from the other team (blocks!, swarming D, strong tackles, etc.). What happened is that our team came together and worked very very hard at both ends of the pitch to satisfy some random numbers on a pre-season white board (all the way to a #1 ranking and run into the NCAA final...). 
 
Our statistics from our game versus Eastside Catholic: 19 - 2 shots and 4 - 1 corners (Bellevue - EC). That is directionally correct. And when combined with our Sehome and Shorewood games, we stand at 18.6 - 4.0 shots, and 2.3 - 1.3 corners (Bellevue - opponents). Again, directionally correct. Now, of course, good statistics doesn't always mean good play (wasteful shots from 40yds still count as a shot, but might be a terrible soccer decision...), but it is encouraging that this very young Bellevue roster is beginning to play some entertaining and positive soccer. And the statistics support this narrative. Long may it continue.
 
Our actual game started brightly. In just the 2nd minute, Saleen intercepted a wayward EC clearance and dribbled into the box, where she was promptly fouled. PK. And Saleen calmly passed the ball into the net for a 1-0 early Bellevue lead. And it seemed that more goals were just a matter of time. We controlled tempo, we controlled possession, we played excellent team defense...what we didn't do is score any more goals despite launching another 10 shots in the half (white board target achieved, actual outcome not-so-much). Instead, with just a few minutes remaining in the half, Eastside Catholic earned a free kick 30 yards from our goal. Their midfielder sent EC's first shot of the game towards our goal...and..it hit the upper corner of the net. Excellent strike. And despite an overwhelming statistical advantage for our Wolverines, the scoreboard was 1-1 at halftime.  
 
And it got worse from there. In the first three minutes of the second half, EC scored another stylish goal as their left winger wiggled through our defense and cut back a cross that the right winger smashed home from a nearly impossible angle. Great goal and 1-2 EC (despite an enormous statistical advantage for the Wolverines...see, statistics aren't everything...or...just wait for a few paragraphs for the probabilities to resolve a bit..). The goal revitalized the Crusaders, and they raced around with increased energy and belief. But we kept our heads and continued to play well, confidently maintaining possession across our back line, using Katelyn's feet, and then linking well with our midfield and attacking players. We were playing well. And in the 52nd minute, we got our reward: Ava sent an excellent direct ball upfield behind the EC defense, and Mack gave chase. It looked like the EC goalkeeper would narrowly beat Mack to the ball just inside her penalty box, which she did, but the trailing defender needlessly cut across Mack's sprint, her elbow getting higher than she probably intended, and Mack hit the ground just in front of the goalie, who had already scooped up the loose ball. To the referee's credit, he had sprinted to keep up with play, and was only a few yards away when the wayward elbow was deployed. Whistle. PK. Was it soft? During the run-of-play I thought so, but the slow-mo of the video clearly showed the defender's elbow get too high as she made her challenge, and the proximity of the referee meant only one conclusion: PK Bellevue, and a 2-2 scoreline as Saleen calmly dispatched the ball into the back of the net. Game on. 
 
Two minutes later, we had recaptured the lead and momentum. Saleen chased hard after a rare give-away, won the ball back, bolo'd her defender (flick on one side, run past on the other...or a "body meg") and lashed a low, hard shot that ricocheted off the far post and was smashed home by Raina, who was wisely supporting the play. 3-2 Bellevue. In the 70th minute, it was four, as Nora found Saleen on the right wing with a clever entry pass, Saleen quick-fired a shot that the goalkeeper could only parry back into the danger zone...where Paris gladly finished for a 4-2 Bellevue lead. Just a few minutes later in the 75th minute, Emerson won the ball in our defensive third, found Saleen in space at midfield, and our junior Captain sent a scrumptious outside-of-the-foot curling pass towards our right wing and a sprinting Raina. Raina crossed, and the keeper could only deflect the ball back into the mixer where Ava was waiting to half-volley into the open net for a 5-2 advantage. Well-earned goal by our freshman midfielder who had seemingly covered every blade of plastic grass during the full 80 minutes. Fitting that she would score after making a 60yard sprint into the box to support Raina's fast-break and cross. Final Score.  
 
And now the statistics make sense? To paraphrase the White Stripes (ask your parents), you can't take the effect and make it the cause, but the statistics do tell a compelling story. One which we hope to repeat often this season.   
 
Next up: a rematch on Tuesday at Bellevue Stadium with the defending 3A State Champions from Seattle Prep. Last season, our non-conference game ended in a balanced 0-0 draw. They are an excellent program with an experienced coach and team. Seattle Prep will be a very good test before we begin Kingco play at Mt. Si on Thursday. 
 
We'll crunch the numbers afterwards and see where we stand.  

Bellevue 4-0 Shorewood

7th min Ava (Saleen)
50th min Paris (Nora)
52nd min Saleen (Ava)
59th min Serena (Aanya)
 
FTJ. 
 
Many parents and players have asked me what the mysterious "FTJ" means on the back of our white practice jerseys. Each pre-season, our new captains select what goes on the back of those jerseys and so it was no surprise to me that Nora and Raina chose "FTJ" since that was one of our rallying cries during our "Club Perfect" State Championship campaign when they were freshmen. And even before that, FTJ has been a program motto since my first season at Bellevue.
 
When she was a teenager, my wife worked at a summer camp. The leader of that camp was a woman named Gail, who became not only her manager at the camp, but like a bonus-grandmother-figure who was at every holiday meal, family gathering or wedding over the next several decades. Gail is one of those women who embodies "Canadian nice:" she is kind, empathetic, polite, thoughtful, and generous. But Gail is also very tough. Very tough. The type of Canadian who would gleefully check you into the boards with a little extra intensity because that's just part of the game. Metaphorically of course. Gail maintains very high standards.   
 
Gail's favorite mantra is FTJ, and I borrowed it from her. There are lots of people in the world who can do 80-90% of a task, but the last 10% is what separates merely good from great. Writing 90% of an essay gets you most of the way there, but grinding over edits on the last 10% until it's actually good can take just as long as the previous burst of creative productivity (am I dating myself from a world before chatGPT?). Anybody can throw clothes into a laundry machine and push a button. But did the laundry get properly dried? Did it get folded? Did it get put back where it belongs or dumped into a clean wrinkled heap on the floor? Those last tasks are just as important as the impulse to push the button on the laundry machine.  Finish. the. job. When a team is winning a tight game, and playing beautiful soccer until the 70th minute, sometimes it takes an equal amount of grind, perseverence, discipline and grit to get through the last 10 minutes of gametime to secure a victory. Those last 10 minutes can take as much mental and physical effort as the previous 70. So we always aspire to Finish the Job.  FTJ. 
 
And against Shorewood on Thursday night, our first road game of the season, we did exactly that. Shorewood has won the Wesco 3A league title for at least the last three years. They are a good program with very good coaching. But from the kick-off, we announced that we were up for the contest by jumping on a loose ball and creating a scoring chance within the first 10 seconds. And it got even better. We opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a beautiful team goal. From a Shorewood goal kick, the keeper boomed the ball towards midfield, our centerbacks won the ball and confidently dropped the ball back to Katelyn in goal to maintain possession. Katelyn calmly cleared her lines with an accurate first-time pass to Mack in space on our left wing. Mack took a great first touch and passed to Nora centrally, who turned and sent a ball upfield to Saleen at striker. Saleen beat her defender and slipped a wonderful ball to Raina at the back post...who...passed back to Saleen who then set up Ava for a tap-in blast from two yards out.  1-0 Bellevue. Very unselfish play from our junior striker and senior winger to set up our freshmen midfielder. With crisp two-touch passing we traveled from our goalkeeper to our striker to an opening goal in seconds. Yes please. It was a glittering start, and we played very well for the balance of the half, creating 15 chances on goal but without adding another tally. 1-0 halftime.
 
In the 50th minute the insurance goal finally arrived. Paris controlled the ball on the left wing, found Saleen's feet wide, two-touches and a simple drop to Nora centrally, two-touches and a simple forward pass on-the-ground back to Paris who had continued her original run. Paris beat a defender on the dribble in the box and slipped the ball past the onrushing keeper. 2-0 Bellevue. Soccer can seem so easy when we are passing with one or two-touches and moving into good spaces. Then we add some flair on the dribble in dangerous areas for a sumptuous team goal.  And two minutes later, we added another. Talia began the move by harrassing her opposition forward into a give-away which Ava gladly accepted at midfield. Two touches and a simple direct ball to Saleen's feet on the left wing and our junior forward glided past her defender, with flair, and smashed a left-footed shot into the side-netting. 3-0 Bellevue. The final goal came in the 59th minute. Again the movement started with good defending as Talia anticipated an entry pass, won the ball, and calmly passed to Paris on the left. Paris spun her defender and found Aayna running into the space Paris had created on the left. Simple ball to feet and Aanya raced past her defender, with flair, before sending a perfect curling left-footed cross into the box where Serena tapped it in at the near post. Gorgeous. 4-0 Bellevue. Final Score. Game statistics told a very different story than our battle with Sehome last week...Bellevue shots/corners were 25/1 vs 2/1 for Shorewood. It's an imbalance I'd love to repeat as often as we can.
 
It was an excellent team victory. We played solid, aggressive team defense keeping our shape without allowing our axis to get stretched. Shutouts are cool. It's difficult to lose a game if we don't allow the other team to score. And that statistic takes everyone's focused contribution down to the final whistle. It's not enough to just get part of the way there, the last few steps across the line matter. Great team win.

Bellevue 1 - 2 Sehome

28th min 0-1 Sehome goal
32nd min 0-2 Sehome PK goal
54th min 1-2 Nora (unassisted)

"I never lost a game in my life, I just ran out of time..." --Michael Jordan (paraphrasing Vince Lombardi)

And so it begins. Under an orange moon on a perfect late-summer evening, we began our 2025 campaign. With eleven of our sixteen Bellevue players making their varsity debut against the visiting Sehome Mariners, we knew ahead of time that our team would likely need a settling-in period. New experiences are exciting, and we want to preserve that excitment in every game we play, but there is value having gone through this process before, the muscle memory of long-term habits, the familiarity of teammates, even the tiny details of being comfortable knowing the logistics of pre-game warm-ups without wondering "what's next" or "where should I be" at any given moment. All seemingly inconsequential little taxes on our mental reservoir that add up in the margins. And with every successive game, our comfort level will grow and be replaced with a calm competitive confidence that translates into a bit more patience on the ball, in our passing, and in our decision-making. In short, I'm confident we will get better. It's a campaign, not a primary.  

Although we obviously would've preferred a different result, I'm proud of how we competed in our home opener. The Sehome team returned an identical roster from the team that we narrowly defeated a year ago in a very balanced contest...but with the significant addition of a senior division I college-committed-forward (that our freshman left-back handled without any fuss, danger, or drama...well done Maggie). So we knew before kick-off that Sehome would be even better than a year ago. And they were. The biggest change in moving up the levels in soccer is time and space: there is less of it. And Sehome did a very good job of pressing the ball in central areas which made it very difficult to build a consistent rhythm offensively. We had moments of beauty and quick ball movement. But those moments weren't linked together with enough consistency. However, on the other side of the ball, I was proud how we competed. We maintained a good defensive shape, were brave in our challenges, covered for each other, and held a very good and experienced Sehome forward line to just six chances on goal. Unfortunately, they scored on two of them. One a deflected fluke (it happens) in the 28th minute. And the other a "grey-area" coming-together PK decision that Katelyn almost saved just a few minutes later. All within a poor four-minute period late in the first half. 0-2 Sehome at halftime. 

We re-grouped in the shed at half. Discussed what was working and what needed addressing (communication, patience in passing, positional adjustments, technical execution, etc.), and played a very solid second half. Early non-conference games involve a lot of little experiments as we try to find our best positional rotation and player fit. We are learning new roles, or are being used in slightly uncomfortable positions as we attempt to assemble our formational jig-saw puzzle. And we learned a lot about what worked well, and what needs more practice. In the 54th minute we cut the deficit with a thunderbolt from Nora from 30yards out. Excellent strike from our senior captain. 1-2 Sehome and hope reigns for an epic comeback. For the last twenty minutes, we pressed hard for an equalizer that never came. Ava's last-second attempt looked like it would nestle just inside the crossbar, but missed by a whisker on the opposite side of the post. Final whistle. 1-2 Sehome. Final stats tell an honest story: 10 shots, 2 corners for Bellevue, 6 shots, 2 corners for Sehome: Tight-herky-jerky midfield contest decided by just a few important moments.  

So now we re-group and prepare for next week. Our remaining three non-conference games are against teams that all qualified for the quarterfinals of the 3A state playoffs: Wesco Champions Shorewood, 2nd place Metro League finishers Eastside Catholic, and defending state champs Seattle Prep. We don't schedule cupcakes. Time and space will be similarly squeezed. And I'm looking forward to seeing our team step-up to the upcoming challenges. On Tuesday we travel to Shoreline (first road trip, more new experiences) before traveling to Eastside Catholic on a rare Friday night game.
For those of you soccer junkies who want to re-watch varsity games, or for out-of-state grandparents and family who want to watch their grand-daughters play soccer, most of our games are streamed at NFHSnetwork.com (for a monthly fee). Also, for the benefit of our team, we upload games to the Hudl video review platform (like Veo, etc.). Each player will have access, and as the season goes by, we will edit highlights of each game for review and lessons learned. 

Thank you to the supporters who attended last night's game. And to our parent game announcer, who did an excellent job adding to the fun atmosphere. Also congratulations to our JV squad who used a magnificent second-half performance to win their home-opener 5-1. 
 
Again, congratulations to all of the players who made their varsity debut last night.
​
It's a campaign, not a primary.

#2 Bellevue 2-0 #8 Mount Spokane
38th min 1-0 Morgan (OG assist)
78th min 2-0 Saleen (Kendall)

Only two teams get to end their high school season with a victory. BGS is one of them.

Small comfort I know, but a much better way to end our 2024 season than the alternative. 

It was a comprehensive win. From the opening whistle, we began linking passes together, controlling tempo, and creating quality chances. With heavy legs from a tough semi-final the day before, we rotated our personnel early and often, and every Wolverine who took the field contributed excellent minutes. Just like in yesterday's game, our substitutes were critical in earning the opening goal, as Morgan juked the Wildcat center back, charged into the box and her snap-shot (pass? shass?) deflected off of another Mt. Spokane defender into the net. 1-0 Bellevue in the 38th minute. Perhaps not our most elegant goal of the year, but a fair scoreline given the overall balance of play. And full credit to Morgan, you don't get to score a goal at Sparks unless you create a chance...Morgan did, and that was the winning goal.  

The second half was similar to the first: Bellevue with the majority of the possession and clear chances, but Mount Spokane remaining very dangerous on counter-attacks and set-pieces. Our final goal of the 2024 season was created with great swarming defense from a Mount Spokane goal kick in the 78th minute, as Mack, Mia and Leah pressured the ball, forcing a sloppy pass in the Wildcat's defensive third that Kendall intercepted with a one-touch pass that released Saleen alone on the keeper. We know how that sequence ends: 2-0 Bellevue. And finally, we could allow ourselves a bit of a smile. Final whistle. 

Yes, a few tears, but happy-sad tears rather than just the sad kind. And a third-place plaque awarded to our captains.

I'm grateful that our 15 seniors got a win in their final game wearing the Bellevue uniform. It's been a wonderful four-year journey, and their collective contributions and leadership are leaving this program in a better place than when they arrived. But we'll have more to say about that tomorrow night at our Girls Soccer Banquet. 

Finally, a sincere "thank you" to the entire Bellevue Girls Soccer community: to the parents cheering in the stands, the grandparents watching our video streams at home, volunteers washing winter parkas, announcing games and choosing cool versions of the National Anthem, organizing booster board meetings, state shirt ordering, hauling travel shelters and benches, hosting team dinners, supporting our C-team night, or organizing senior night...what makes this program special is the amount of earnestness, love, care, and hard work that is invested by everyone. Thank you.

This group deserved to walk off the field in their final game as winners.

See you all tomorrow.

#2 Bellevue 1-2 OT #3 Roosevelt
57th min Anna (Morgan)
76th min 1-1 Roosevelt goal
83rd min 1-2 Roosevelt golden goal

That stings.

In a game that would've been a worthy final, we leave Sparks Stadium with tears instead of high fives and hugs. Our battle between the last two State champions was exactly what we expected: tight and well-matched. We play similar formations. We both value possession, quick technical ball movement, and organized, team-oriented defense. There were no obvious weaknesses to exploit on either side with excellent athletes in every role all over the field. And therefore, for long periods of the game, especially in the first half, we battled to a midfield stalemate. Yes, we created more chances, but not overwhelmingly so. But we also hadn't allowed a single dangerous chance against us for the opening 40 minutes, and at no point did we feel like we were getting exposed. Halftime stats were 4 shots/2 corners for Bellevue, to 1 shot/0 corners for Roosevelt. 

In the second half, with a steady breeze at our back, we began to pin Roosevelt in their own half and create more chances. Our break-through came in the 57th minute, as recent substitute Morgan beat her defender on the right side and sent a perfectly driven cross to the far post where Anna smashed a header into the back of the net. Glorius goal. And a wonderful example of players changing a game when given the opportunity. Morgan and Anna had both entered the game 3 minutes before and thanks to their combination, we had the lead 1-0. Two seniors making their mark. 

We expected a flurry of Roosevelt attacks after they conceded, but our team defense remained stout. If anything, it seemed like we would confidently and competently see the game through with a one-goal winning margin. But the soccer gods had other ideas...and with four minutes left in the game, from an innocuous-looking looped entry pass, the Roosevelt striker got good body position, dropped the ball back to her winger and the resulting one-touch shot snuck into the upper corner at the near post. It was a nice goal, but very unlikely. It was Roosevelt's 2nd shot in the entire game. And we were tied at full-time. 1-1.  

If the tying goal in the dying minutes of regular was cruel, the golden goal that ended the game was something from the Marquis de Sade, as a wicked deflection from a Roosevelt shot (their 3rd in the game) found the back of the net after only three minutes of overtime. Game over. Shock defeat. 

Roosevelt is a worthy finalist. The defending champs never gave up even when they were a goal down with just minutes left in the game. They are a talented team. But this loss stings.  
We had it. We earned it. We played well. We created more chances, and we were amazing defensively. And yet, in just a handful of combined minutes, it was gone. Joy turned to ashes in our mouths.  Sadness.

Among countless other things, High School sports are great because it gives us a safe and engaging way to experience the intense emotions we need to manage later in life: Joy. victory. effort, merit, teamwork, but just as valuable are the moments, especially in soccer, when you need to manage the intensity of loss, defeat, sadness, and just a whiff of injustice. Just like in real life.

But thankfully, the stakes on the soccer field feel bigger than they actually are. We lost. And that stings. But tomorrow we'll wake up early and have an opportunity to play one more high school soccer game at Sparks Stadium with our friends. One more chance to get to feel the other side of the scoreboard that ends with smiles, happiness, and shared accomplishment.  

It stings today, but we'll do our best to slather ourselves in aloe vera and earn a win in the consolation final for 3rd place. The underlying burn of today won't go away, but it might make the sting feel better tomorrow.  

See you in Puyallup in the morning, 10am kick-off.

Bellevue 2-0 Ridgeline
49th min Saleen (Mack & Leah)
57th min Mack (Leah)

We're going to Sparks. 

The Final Four is hosted at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup every year. Only four teams earn the right to play high school soccer the week before Thanksgiving for a shot at a 3A State Championship. Our girls have earned that right.

Almost exactly a year ago, our team suffered a frustrating loss in the State quarterfinals where everything that could go wrong, seemingly did. It happens. That's life. But it stings. 

But a wonderful thing about high school soccer is that each iteration of the team, even with common traditions and returning lots of players, is unique. Fresh. New personalities meshing with the varsity returners. New roles. New perspectives. But for those of us who felt the sting last fall, there was extra motivation to replace that lingering emotional cringe from a year ago with a worthy performance against a very good Ridgeline team. Erase a few memories while making stronger, more positive memories. Plus, we wanted a performance worthy of the last BGS game on Bellevue turf for our 15 seniors.

And that's what we got. From the opening whistle, we were magnificent. No notes (OK, some notes). Every player did their job. Every substitute, whether they got onto the field or not, contributed to the final result with their positivity. It was our best collective performance of the season, against an excellent team. The winning margin didn't come until the second half, but we set the tone in the first. From scouting work, we knew that Ridgeline is a possession-oriented team. They are very good at rotating the ball with quick one and two-touch passes through their talented center-backs and midfielders...if you give them the time to do so. So our plan was simple: stay organized and do our best to press them in spaces where they typically find joy and rhythm. Challenge every entry pass with "front-foot" defending. Anticipate, don't react. And collectively, we did exactly that. It was 0-0 at HT, but we hadn't allowed a single Ridgeline shot. And we had hit both posts, the crossbar, and it not for a series of wonderful saves by the Falcon goalkeeper, we would've had a comfortable lead.

But the goals were coming. We could feel it. In the 49th minute, just like Santa on Christmas Eve, our anticipation was rewarded with a stuffed stocking of a goal. It started with Maddy intercepting the ball at midfield and calmly squaring to Kendall, who calmly played the ball to an overlapping Lola on the right side. Lola played a calm and simple ball to Leah's feet on the right wing and our senior forward sent a delightfully calm ball to the back post where Mack calmly volleyed a pass towards Saleen in the box. Saleen spun her defender and calmly rolled the ball into the far corner of the goal. Our bench was NOT calm. Celebratory pandemonium. Joy. Cheers. Happiness. 1-0 Bellevue. Eight minutes later we added another, as Leah fired a shot at the Ridgeline goalkeeper that she was only able to block, not smother. Natural attacking players are instinctively good at seeking out opportunities to score, like following up every shot in the hope of a deflection or spilled save. Mack has those instincts, and was the first to react, charging the keeper before Leah's shot had even arrived on goal. Tiny bobble. Smashed follow-up. 2-0 Bellevue.

And so now we make plans for the Final Four. We play defending champion Roosevelt on Friday at noon at Sparks Stadium. Two years ago we beat Roosevelt in the Final to win a state championship. Last year, we were on a collision course with Roosevelt before we veered off the road in the quarterfinals and they steamrolled the rest of the way to celebrate with the big trophy. This year, we will meet in the Semi-final, two of the most successful girls high school programs over the last three seasons. It's going to be so fun. Seattle Prep and Mount Spokane will meet in the other semi-final immediately after our game. The Final will be at 3pm on Saturday (3rd place consolation game on Saturday at 10am...so even more motivation on Friday to get more sleep on Saturday).     

Calm. 

We're going to Sparks.

Thanks to all of our supporters who braved the chilly November weather to cheer our team. 

See you on Friday.

Bellevue 2-0 Holy Names
36th min Kaitlyn (Saleen) header from corner
41st min Leah (Saleen)

Before our last practice on Thursday, we reviewed 18th-seeded Holy Names on video from their 5-0 victory over 15th-seeded Lakes. Before we scouted that game, coach John and I knew that Holy Names was an "18 seed" in name only, and likely the best of the 8 teams who didn't get a BYE into the round of 16. It happens every year. The 4th place Metro team drops in the committee seeding process, and one unlucky top seed faces an opening State game significantly more difficult than the ranking numbers listed before each team. This year. we drew the 4th place Metro team who had just dismantled #15 Lakes 5-0 in their first round match (and it couldn've been more). So on paper, it was #2 vs. #18, but we knew that just a few weeks ago at the end of the regular season, Holy Names had beaten #5 Seattle Prep 1-0 and tied #11 Eastside Catholic (both won their rd of 16 State games on Friday), so we certainly weren't looking past the Cougars. 

We took our preparation seriously and did our best to keep sharp during our long two-week break since our last game. But despite productive training sessions, a bit of rust was inevitable. So it goes. We started brightly, creating two quick chances and several dangerous cut-back crosses, but our timing and supporting runs weren't precise enough and we didn't convert. Rust. The balance of the first half felt more like a series of fits and starts without the rhythm we typically find after the first few minutes of chaotic game-time smooths over. But even without creating an abundance of early chances, we controlled the game and stayed patient and organized. Holy Names had occasional forays into our defensive area and a few shots, but they were speculative and Katelyn wasn't seriously tested in our goal thanks to the dedication of our field players in front of her.    

The breakthrough came from a corner with 4 minutes left in the first half. I remember mentioning to our bench just before the kick that "Kaitlyn is going to score...," (more from a feeling of declarative optimism than a vision of the future)...but then Saleen took the corner, and our senior center-back gave the ball a Scottish kiss, smashing the ball with her forehead into the back of the net. 1-0 Bellevue. And suddenly I felt like Nostradamus and tried to envision something like lottery numbers, stock prices, or future Super Bowl scores. But more importantly, we had a well-earned lead. Regardless, the goal was like our entire team being dunked in a tank of rust-oleum, because for the remainder of the game our soccer was sparkling and shiny. Rust gone. We added a 2nd goal in the 41st minute, barely out of the shed from halftime as Paris threw the ball into Saleen's feet (simple throws = best throws), Saleen dribbled through 4 defenders, before cutting-back a cross to Leah who timed her supporting run to perfection and was rewarded with a goal from the doorstep. Excellent. 2-0 Bellevue. And although we had several more chances to score in the second half, more gratifyingly, we held Holy Names without a shot or a corner for the last 40 minutes of the game. Whistle. Hugs. Handshakes. And onto the State quarterfinals. Shiny and sharp.

Our victory against Holy Names earned us a quarterfinal match-up with #10 Ridgeline who dominated #7 Peninsula 3-1. The Falcons are organized, well-coached, play beautiful possession-based soccer, and won the District 6 (eastern Washington) championship last week against their rivals Mt. Spokane. They are a very good team. But in a tournament campaign, you eventually have to beat the best. So bring on the best from the east.

We'll be ready. 

I'll be the guy on the sidelines with a pocket full of lottery tickets. :)