Junior Varsity - Bellevue vs Mercer Island 9-30-2023

Bellevue 6-0 Mercer Island

3rd min Kasia (Mac)
7th min Mac  (Kasia)
14th min Anna
19th min Anna (Kasia)
22nd min Kasia
45th min Anna (Alyson)

No matter what level of soccer you watch/coach/play, one person scoring three goals in a game is one of the hardest feats in sports. It takes skill, effort and a little bit of luck to get a ‘hat trick’ as it is called in soccer.

On a chilly Saturday morning in the Mercer Island High School stadium, Anna Cody put her name on that distinguished list in a thorough 6-0 trouncing of the Islanders JV squad.

To be completely honest, I didn’t know Anna scored three goals until I looked at the score sheet this morning as I started to write this recap. We all should have celebrated her accomplishment after the game and I will take full blame.

Her three tallies got lost in what I felt was some of the best soccer our team has played this season. The first half of Saturday’s game was filled with effort, crisp passing and team defense. The goals came quickly in the first half and it seemed to settle us down. After last Saturday’s game, which was a bit lethargic for my liking, I wasn’t sure what I was going to get from the team with the cold conditions and early-morning start time.

But right from the opening whistle the girls came out flying. All the things we have been working on in practice (quick ball movement, moving off the ball, clinical finishing) were evident on the pitch. Kasia scored a great goal in just the third minute with a looping shot over the goaltender’s outstretched arms after a nice give-and-go with Mac in the right corner. Minutes later, Kasia returned the favor and set an excellent cross to Mac who expertly volleyed into the net. Two quick goals in the first ten minutes was just the start we were looking for.

From there, we were off. Anna got her first goal by being in the right place as the keeper fumbled a shot from Kasia right to her feet. She pounced and put the ball in the roof of the goal. Her second goal was a thing of beauty. Off a great corner kick from Kasia, Anna dashed into the penalty area and smashed home a header to put us up 5-0. As stated, I love header goals.

We got one more goal before half on a great individual effort from Kasia who made a 40-yard run around three defenders and finished was a great low, hard shot that found the far corner. A shout out to Kasia who has played some of our best soccer this first half of the season and Saturday was a great example. We had her for only one half as she deservedly earned a Varsity call up on Saturday and all she did was score two goals and assist on two others. Wow.

The second half saw most players trying out new positions and working on our possession and team work in an effort to see this game out. We added one final goal off a corner kick just five minutes into the second half. Guess who? Yep, Anna was there to poke in a lose ball in front of the goal to cap our scoring on this day.

It was a great overall effort and all our hard work seems to be showing up on the field. This next week will be a great test as we host Liberty on Tuesday and travel to Lake Washington on Thursday. Both teams are off to great starts this season. Add that to the inevitable distractions associated with Homecoming Week, it will take great focus and effort to get our six points.