Bellevue vs Lakeside 11-22-19

Bellevue 0-0 (4-3 SO) Lakeside
 
That. was. bonkers. 
 
In our third shootout of the playoffs, our girls persevered with grit and determination and beat the previously undefeated Lakeside Lions to advance to the 3A state championship final.
 
The first half of the game went according to plan. Our defense stayed very organized while attacking the Lions with quick switches to our overlapping fullbacks. Lakeside plays in a very narrow 4-4-2 diamond formation. They are very good at it. But the 4-4-2 can be attacked down the flanks by rotating the ball wide very quickly before the midfielders can shift, and early on, both Ava and Zoe got deep into Lakeside territory down the flanks, combining well with Court and Paige to create mis-matches. It's what we expected, and it's what we got for most of the first half. Not that either team had a deluge of clear chances, it was never going to be that type of game. Lakeside had only allowed 4 goals all season, and we are set-up in a similar stout manner, so we knew that the game would be decided by executing on a few good chances, or capitalizing on a mistake. It was a tactical staring contest of the highest order.  And neither team blinked.
 
It was game of two excellent defenses, and not surprising when the final whistle sounded a 0-0 tie at the end of both regulation and over-time. Then the drama of our third playoff shootout began. Lakeside had scouted our Kamiakin quarter-final, and therefore had watched all of our PK shooters less than a week before. Plus, Lakeside has one of the highest rated goal-keepers in the state. So on paper, we entered this shootout at a distinct dis-advantage. Of course, they didn't know what we all know. We have Ashley. And they don't. Ashley has now saved 9 PKs during our playoff run. Read that sentence again. Nine @#$%#$@ PKs. That's just ridiculously good. And also why we are playing in a state championship final tomorrow afternoon. Of course our shooters all deserve a lot of credit too. It's tough enough to step up in a pressure situation, but even more difficult when you know that the Lakeside keeper had watched your shooting tendencies the week before. So we mixed up the shooting order and asked the girls to walk with a swagger. Confidence is everything in a shootout. So kudos to Mo (who set the tone with a confident laser first PK), Zoe, Halle, Bekah (who almost shot before the whistle) and Audrey (game-winner, chicken dinner), for walking with a swagger, and getting the job done.  
 
We now have BHS vs LW part 4, the final to end all finals. Kingco vs Kingco.  We have had three very even games with the Kangs. We know them well. They know us well. Let's go.  
 
Highlights 
I'm extremely proud of the substitutes again tonight. We had to call on several players to come into a very tight competitive game on a very cold night and do the job. Sometimes with very little notice. And everyone did as we asked. Magnificently. When a player goes down with an injury, being part of a team means that the next player has to step up and do the job regardless of previous minutes, experience or role. And our girls did exactly that. Tonight, that meant a lot of defensive work and focus, but the final scoreboard doesn't include a style-rating, and tactics are important. Whatever it takes. 
 
Congrats to Hinana for being recognized for a WIAA sportsmanship award after today's game. I couldn't agree more, Hinana epitomizes fair play and fair effort.  Well done Hinana.
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