Interlake

Bellevue 1-0 Interlake  

​ Three points.   Our wonderfully dramatic 1-0 win vs Holy Names: three points.  Our dominant 5-0 performance versus Sammamish: three points. Our stylish 4-2 victory over Lake Washington: three points.   Our mediocre and fortunate 1-0 win against Interlake: three points.     I take responsibility for not having the girls mentally ready to play tonight. I obviously didn't choose the right pre-game words, or design the right practice to prepare them for Interlake. We simply didn't give the Saints the respect they deserved from the opening whistle. If not for a wonderful save by Madi on a 1v1 in the first three minutes, we really should've been down 0-1. We were slow. We lost 50/50 challenges. But the most perplexing for me is that our fundamental technique completely let us down. We passed out of bounds. Our most technical players had heavy first touches all over the field. We jogged after losing the ball. We dribbled when we should pass, and passed when we should dribble. We made runs without purpose. We were sloppy in every phase of the game. In the first 20 minutes we rarely made more than 3 consecutive passes.   It was an ugly first half.      As I told the girls at halftime, it was the worst 40 minutes of football since I've been coaching them. But good teams with big ambitions need to find a way to win when they aren't playing their best. Just find a way. Any way.       So we came out in the second half with renewed vigor and significantly increased tempo. Our passing was better. Our pressure on the ball was better. Our tackling was better. However, at this point in the game, winless Interlake shifted tactics and put 10 players behind the ball and worked hard for the 0-0 draw. They "parked the bus" in front of their goalmouth making it difficult for us to create good chances. So we were technically better in the second half, but we had put ourselves in a very tough position and the clock wasn't on our side. All credit to the Saints, they almost pulled it off with grit, tenacity and raw determination. They were organized and they worked hard for each other. They deserve our respect.     But with only 7 minutes left in the game before an ignominious draw, vice captain Maud rescued the team with a beautiful volley from a Jojo corner. It was a moment of pure class in a game of tepid mediocrity.     Three points.    Wins all count the same. Even the ugly ones.           Highlights: Maud's goal and Madi's early save are the only highlights worth mentioning. There were other solid performances and contributions (Ana, Claire, Catie, Jojo) but soccer is a team game and when the team is poor, it reflects on everyone. And we were poor.