11/27/2021 Bellevue vs Sammamish 10-18-18Bellevue 2-0 Sammamish
Senior nights are emotionally charged contests. Several Sammamish players were playing their last home game of their high school career so we knew that the Totems would come out with extra determination and energy. So after the pre-game ceremony (with the very classy touch of the SHS seniors presenting our senior girls with roses too), the game kicked-off with a frenetic pace we expected. The first twenty minutes was a battle of possession at midfield as both teams struggled to get the dew-slicked ball under control on the quick turf. However, as the game progressed, we did a much better job of playing in the Sammamish half and rotating the ball on the ground from our midfield and defensive lines to link with our more advanced players. And when we are able to play in the opposing half, good things happen. And in the 20th minute, the goodness began. Sammamish won the ball deep in their own territory, but because we were pressing high up the field, Grace immediately won the ball back from the Totem center-back and calmly finished to give us a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, we continued to apply more pressure and were rewarded again in the 30th minute as AnnaB beat two defenders and slipped a gorgeous ball to Grace who finished well for a 2-0 halftime lead. Although we didn't add to the scoreline in the second half, we couldn't have been more satisfied with our overall effort as we played tough and organized team defense that didn't allow a single Sammamish shot for the remainder of the game. When holding onto an lead late in the season, team organization, work-rate and covering for each other defensively becomes even more important. Overall it was a great team win. We rotated the line-up significantly throughout the game, and were able rest players with lingering injuries. In most ways, our next game is our most critical: home versus Juanita next Tuesday. We have an opportunity to punch our ticket into the league championship game with a victory ahead of our final regular season game and senior night versus MI. Plus I know that our players are eager to replace the memories from our last encounter with Juanita with a more positive performance. Highlights. Welcome back Del. It was great to see you back in uniform and terrorizing defenses with committed tackles and enthusiasm; our backline was solid with Audrey, Zoe, Kaatje, Imme and Court marshaling our final line of defense with uncompromising strength, determination and co-operation; our midfield controlled the tempo with Kendall, Halle, IzzyB, AnnaB and Court all taking turns at distributing the ball with poise and flair; and finally, our attacking players not only got forward, but even more importantly, pressed hard on defense the entire night. Our continued success will depend on our wingers and strikers pressing hard when we have a territorial advantages, and we did a great job at this last night. Well done Grace, Malena, Kaia, AllyS, and Taylor; Shutouts are cool, kudos to Isabelle and IssyS in goal for recording our 5th clean sheet of the season. Comments are closed.
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