Bellevue vs Lake Washington 9-13-22

​BHS 3-0 Lake Washington
 
35th min Lexi (Lillian & Leah)
36th min Lillian (Lily)
56th min Kendall (Lillian & Mia)
 
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." 
--Shakespeare, "As you Like It"
 
"We're One / But we're not the same / we get to carry each other / carry each other... / One"
 
--U2, "One"
 
Pre-season non-conference games and jamborees are like dress rehearsals. They give teams a chance to groove a pre-game routine, learn how to travel (Bainbridge) and experiment with different line-ups and player combinations. But Kingco league play marks a shift in our season. Dress rehearsals are over and the production begins in earnest. And our opening night happened to be at one of the most challenging road destinations in our league: away at perennial girls soccer powerhouse Lake Washington. Which is like a talented young subway busker getting tapped to perform new material at a sold out MSG. So we knew we were in for a competitive evening, and although I'm sure there were a few opening night jitters, it certainly didn't show. From the opening whistle, our girls played their roles to perfection. And defined roles, even with a talented cast of characters (especially with a talented cast of characters) is important; otherwise, we might devolve into a disorganized mess of players all seeking the spotlight, with nobody to raise the curtain, play the chorus, cue the music or all of the other crucial roles that don't always get center stage blocking. Like any director, I wan't certain how opening night would go, but having seen our team in training, and having seen the positivity and generosity in how they suppport each other on and off the field, I knew that we have a chance to do something special this season. I knew that it would eventually come together. It always does. But how it comes together is the magic of theater, or soccer. It's a mystery.  
 
The first act of our play began slowly, but tension quickly escalated as we began to find pockets of space in the midfield and quickly switch the point of attack to wider areas. After several excellent chances, the game was broken open in the 35th minute after Leah slipped a delicious pass into the box for Lillian who cut inside and shot from six yards only to be denied by the far post...but so much of our sport is instinctive awareness of space and opportunity, and Lexi crashed the back post as Lillian was shooting and was rewarded with a wonderful goal on the rebound. 1-0 Bellevue. Coaches always like to remind players to crash the box just in case there is a deflection or hit post, but Lexi didn't need reminding. She was where she was supposed to be, and was rewarded with her first BHS varsity goal. Well done Lexi. Less than a minute later we doubled our lead. LW was eager to make amends for Lexi's goal, and lobbed a ball towards our backline almost directly from the kick-off as if they were trying to get the equalizer in a single kick of the ball; however, our defenders are exceptional at "front foot defending," meaning that they anticipate entry passes before they are kicked, and race forward to win the ball rather than back-pedal or delay...and this is what Lily did from her right back position, she anticipated the entry pass, cut it out confidently and cleared the ball upfield with a high arcing kick...that bounced deep in the LW half (a cardinal sin of defending)...giving our agent of chaos Lillian time to race through the LW defense and get a diving toe poke just past the onrushing LW keeper. Glorious tenacity, bravery and use of her tippy toe from Agent Chaos. Finally, in the 56th minute, we scored a marvelous team goal, with Mia winning the ball from a LW throw-in, spinning her defender before sending an inch-perfect pass up the left wing for Lillian, who cut inside and unselfishly squared to Kendall who was at a full sprint in support and took Lillian's pass with a single confident touch past the keeper for our winning 3-0 margin. Superb. Curtain call. Exit stage left.     
 
Highlights. Statiscally, we had a great night. We outshot/corner 16/3 vs 5/3 for LW. LW is a very direct team that presses high up the pitch, so getting our cover and clearances right in defense was important. Kudos to the entire team for combining the discipline of good spacing and balance with the controlled frenzy of applying counter-pressure to win tackles and launch attacks of our own. Similarly, our attack is becoming more polished as our players get to know each others tendencies and habits on the field. Finally, special acknowledgement to players who come into the game as substitutes, in many respects it's the hardest, yet most important, role for a successful team long-term. So I couldn't have been more pleased to see two of our goals scored by Lexi and Kendall, who came onto the field with eagerness, and left the field with the scoreline better than it was when they entered.   
 
Next we travel to Juanita on Thursday, another very tough and organized Kingco opponent. Our challenge will be to keep our opening night intensity, even when it's no longer opening night.