Junior Varsity - Bellevue vs Bothell 10-8-24

Bellevue JV 1- 1 Bothell
 
6th min Bothell goal
26th Talia
 
A split second
 
That is all it takes to change a soccer match. We know the game of soccer can be an 80-minute slog of sprinting, defending and shooting. But it only takes a blink of the eye to change a game for better or worse. It can be a moment of brilliance or a second of lost focus. We saw it all Tuesday night as the Bellevue girl’s JV team traveled to Bothell High School.
 
The game was fairly even throughout as both teams battled in the midfield for lose balls and we saw moments of possession. However, in just the sixth minute, one of those unfortunate moments went the wrong way and cost us a goal. A mis-hit goal kick failed to clear the first line of defense and a Cougar forward pounced on the errant clearance. With one touch, she returned the ball to the direction it came and into the back of the net. An unfortunate turn of events.
 
Much credit goes to the Wolverines as they quickly brushed off the mistake and started to take the game to Bothell. Some of the fight we saw in the second half of our last game was there as we began to create dangerous chances. But we just couldn’t quite get those shots off as the Cougars pressured us every time we entered the penalty area. An extra touch or dribble cost us several opportunities for a good hard shot.
 
We continued to put pressure on the Bothell defense throughout the half and we were finally rewarded in the 26th minute. This time it was our opponents who failed to clear a ball out of the front of their goal. Talia was the first to a lose ball close to the goalmouth and she pounced.  She stole the ball, spun around the goalie and deposited it in the net. Finally.
 
We celebrated the goal and congratulated Talia on her tenacity. But we knew we had more work to do.
 
We got to halftime tied at 1-1 but it felt like we had the upper hand. We agreed there were open spaces for us to exploit and we needed to take advantage of it. Our first touches continue to be a problem and we needed to clean up that aspect of our play.
 
Despite more possession and periods of ball control a second goal never materialized in the second half. Both teams traded dangerous chances and goalies made brave saves. When the final whistle blew and we walked off with a tie, it was a moral victory. We came from behind, didn’t turn on each other and improved throughout the match. All positives to be taken from this game.
 
North Creek visits Bellevue HS on Thursday for Fan Appreciation Night. Please join us.​