Liberty

Bellevue 2-0 Liberty

​It was a very good night for Bellevue girls soccer. 30 minutes after our JV team played their most composed and fluid game of the season in a comprehensive 1-0 win, our girls put in a performance that is worthy of their talent and potential in a beautiful and dominant display of total soccer against a very good Liberty varsity.  In my opinion, the 2-0 scoreline flattered the visitors. Which is nice.    Although the game was deadlocked at 0-0 after 40 minutes, I felt an incredible lightness of being. Basically the complete opposite of Tuesday. A confidence that our girls would prevail if we simply played another half like the first. We didn't score in the first forty, but we pressured Liberty all over the field, enjoyed a possession advantage throughout, and played almost entirely in the Liberty half. Our tempo was excellent: aggressive and quick in defense, and poised and smart in possession. In fact, if it wasn't for several outstanding saves from the Liberty keeper, we would've had a comfortable lead at the break.   Eventually, it took two free kicks to provide the winning margin. which is especially gratifying since we have been working on our free kicks at training over the past week. In the 50th minute, one of our wonder-twin-super freshmen Courtney Serres pounced on a rebound from a well taken Katie Foster free kick to break the tie. Jojo fooled the keeper with a feint and Katie drove a ball towards the opposite corner that the keeper could only spill in front of her goalmouth where Kiley and Courtney were waiting. The final touch was applied by Court and we had the goal we deserved from all our good play in the match so far. 1-0 Bellevue.     Maud added a second from a free kick from over 35 yards out. The Liberty keeper expected a cross from that distance, but Maud confidently chose the more aggressive option, driving the ball over her head to put the game to bed in the 67th minute.    Liberty is a very good defensive team. Before our game, they had only allowed three goals all season. Their goalkeeper is the best we've faced this year. But we consistently created good chances throughout the game. The final stats underline our excellence: 23 / 4 shot advantage; with a 4 / 2 corner advantage. More importantly, we played with an intense edge, an eagerness to impose our will on the game. And we did. Earning our victory with good strong play.     Highlights: this was a team win. Everyone played well. Our defense was simply outstanding, as our backline of Paige, Catie, Maud, Nikole were tough and relentless and provided excellent cover for each other. Katie and Ellie neutralized Liberty's very dangerous no9 in midfield and launched our offense with simple precise passing. Our pressing was initiated by Jojo with Kiley, Joelle, Courtney, Ana, Grace and Sophie aggressively filling the gaps and limiting Liberty's options as the Patriots admirably and consistently tried to initiate their offense with a possession-style from their backline. Liberty is a very good team, but they couldn't find any joy through our collective 11-player defensive pressure; Caylee and Claire came on at the end with good minutes to secure the win and maintain our undefeated record