Bellevue vs Mercer Island 10-30-18

Bellevue 1-1 (4-5PKs) Mercer Island
 
Walking onto the field against the defending state champs that just recorded a perfect Kingco season seemed like a classic David vs Goliath. I'm sure that Vegas had us as 2.5 goal underdogs. But I knew we would compete. We had played two tight scrappy games versus the Islanders and the obvious difference in our respective league records didn't translate into a competitive imbalance on the field. It just didn't. We knew that our girls have been building to something special over the last few weeks with increasingly better performances. We are a significantly better team today than we were two months ago, than we were two weeks ago. We didn't fear Goliath at all. We just grabbed our slingshot and confidently took the field.  
 
And we stood toe to toe with the giant and didn't flinch once. We had made some tactical adjustments based on our previous two games (thank you videographers, it matters) to neutralize some of their more influential players. And it worked. Yes, they had more of the ball in the first half, including a 19th minute goal, but most of their chances were from distance or in spaces that weren't particularly dangerous. We played disciplined team defense, everyone doing their respective jobs and covering for each other.  
 
Going in the 2nd half, we knew that we had to press into enemy territory to get an equalizer. MI had conceded only three goals all season, and they seemed content to sit on their lead, confident that it would hold up. So we began the 2nd half with a high press, taking more risks and searching for a breakthrough. We got our first shot just two minutes into the half. Our second a few minutes after that. And then another one. The momentum was noticeably shifting, so it wasn't a surprise when at the 55th minute, Izzy Buck latched onto a ball at midfield (assist?), and sent a perfect shot over the MI keeper and into the upper left corner. Equalizer. 1-1. And we earned it.  
 
And the suddenly the battle was back on with full force. The last 25 minutes of the second half were a series of punches and counter-punches by both teams. We absorbed most of the pressure, but again (other than a dangerous shot from a low corner that IssyS blocked well), most of MI's attacks didn't test our keeper. They were busy, but we were compact and difficult to break down. The game ended at 1-1. Both 5 minute "golden goal" overtimes were scoreless too. So we entered the dramatic roulette wheel of penalty kicks to decide the championship.  
 
We have been practicing our PKs every day for two weeks. We were ready. The drama couldn't have been more intense. And although the game ended with girls in maroon celebrating a victory, I couldn't be more proud of our team. Each of our shooters stepped up without hesitation, and I'm proud of them all. 
 
Sport, like life, doesn't always end up with the giant being felled by a slingshot. We didn't prevail last night, but we aren't defeated either. I know we will be stronger for our efforts from last night. The grit, determination and fearlessness we showed against the defending state champions should fill our team with confidence. At this point in the season, we can step into the ring with anyone. We are good enough. Seasoned enough. Ready. And we will need to be. We now host an elimination game against Lake Washington at 7pm on Thursday.
 
The winner will advance to host a pig-tail game against the no4 seed from the Metro league on Saturday afternoon for the final birth into the state tournament.
 
We've got everything to play for. Our slingshot is loaded and ready to throw.
 
Highlights. Every player that got onto the field last night did their part. But another big highlight for me was the attitude and support we had from our bench. Their actions won't be directly reflected in the scoresheet, but in dozens of small ways they contributed to our overall performance: parkas were quickly and selflessly shared during the shootout; without being asked, Malena jumped up and became our athletic trainer to get a skinned knee to stop bleeding, and also helped a teammate when she needed it most; the positive energy sent from our sidelines makes a difference. And they were ready. I knew I could call on any of them and they would be ready to go. And I'm just as proud of their positive attitudes and readiness as I am from the performance we got on the field.
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