​1-0 BHS vs Eastlake
 
21st minute Serena (Elina, Tara)
 
“Winning solves everything.” – Tiger Woods
 
The start to the 2024 BHS JV soccer season has been a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least. We looked like giant killers in our first two games which gave us some confidence but maybe inflated our egos a bit. Our games against Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep, two Metro league powerhouses, brought us squarely back down to earth. So, trying to figure out just where this year’s team stood heading into our first league game on Friday night was a bit of a mystery.
 
We know HOW we want to play, but we’ve struggled a bit getting into a rhythm and executing our style. Under the ‘Friday Night Lights’ against Eastlake we saw a bit of both sides of this team. There were moments of great poise and composure on the ball and moments of sloppiness as balls continually bounced off our feet. Give credit to Eastlake as they fought us for every ball and made it tough at times for us to get into a flow. It was a pretty even match through the first 20 minutes, but we were able to grind out a bit more possession than the Falcons but couldn’t muster many clear chances at goal.
 
That all changed in the 21st minute. Elina intercepted a botched Eastlake clearance and fed a ball to Tara at the corner of the penalty area. She switched the ball to Serena who expertly let the ball cross her body to her left foot. Both Eastlake defenders fell for the fake and Serena was able to rip a shot through traffic and into the net. A great shot and goal. The goal seemed to settle us down a bit and we began to string passes together. Unfortunately, nothing came from our efforts, and we coasted into halftime nursing our 1-0 lead.
 
At halftime we talked about continuing to fight, winning lose balls and finding our teammates in dangerous areas. The second half was filled with opportunities from both sides in a back-and-forth affair. We had some good combination play and Addie N narrowly missed a shot on a cross from Talia late in the half.
 
As the came neared completion, this tight game started to get a bit frantic. As Eastlake pressed for an equalizer, our weary legs began to betray us. Try as we may, we just couldn’t find that extra pass or clean trap and we gave Eastlake more chances than I would have liked. Leia stood tall in goal and our defense did just enough to see out the final hectic minutes for us to preserve a 1-0 victory.
 
There were smiles all around heading into the weekend with our first league victory in the new Kingco Conference. We still have much to approve upon, especially how to see out the final minutes of a close game, but we’ll take a win. While it doesn’t solve everything as Tiger states, it sure felt nice.
 
A couple of big game next week as we travel to Skyline and Issaquah for two more tough league matches. Should be fun. Have a great weekend.

Bellevue 0-0 Seattle Prep


"Smooth seas never made a good captain..."
--"Live your Life" by the Dirty Heads

My philosophy on scheduling non-conference opponents: I approach the best teams from traditionally strong leagues so we get tested early, and then have comparative data the rest of the season as 3A conference results get posted. My ideal pre-season schedule would be the defending champions from 4 different leagues from across the state (but budgets, schedule availability, willingness, etc.). And so we scheduled 3rd place Sehome from the Northwest conference, defending Wesco champion Shorewood, and defending Metro League champion Seattle Prep. A demanding schedule makes us a better team, and is a good yardstick to measure our relative competitiveness against teams that will likely qualify for the state tournament. As the LA raggae-ska-rock band Dirty Heads astutely pointed out, "Smooth seas never made a good captain...". Well, for most of the night against a very solid Seattle Prep team, the seas were wind-blown and choppy. And although we didn't get the result we were hoping for, we are a better team for having had the experience.   

In the end, we battled to another 0-0 stalemate, with neither team generating a lot of chances (5 shots, 3 corners for Bellevue, 7 shots, 4 corners for Prep).  Most of the action was a competitive churn in midfield defined by tough tackling, aerial duels, and quick counter-pressing by both teams. Oftentimes, when playing against the better teams in the state, the increased speed and athleticism compress the spaces and make it very challenging to maintain long periods of possession. As our season progresses, we will need to become better in tighter spaces, connecting passes in the final third and finishing our chances, but until then, I was very pleased with the following:  

1. Team defense. In our four non-conference games, we allowed one goal (off of a deflection). It is very difficult to lose a game if we don't allow goals to be scored against us 🙂. This is our foundation. Well done Rebecca, Emily, Kaitlyn, Alyson, Faith, Paris and Lola across our backline, and the tireless work of our midfielders and strikers in shutting down the spaces, tracking runners, and covering for each other all over the field. Team defense requires everybody to do their jobs. And last night, we got the job done defensively. 

2. Stepping up when called upon. 2024 is already one of the most injury-riddled seasons we've ever experienced. I'm not complaining, it just is. Injuries happen within all programs over time and it's simply a sad, frustrating, and unfortunate part of our sport. What we can control is our attitude and willingness to do what is necessary when injuries to our teammates happen. Last night two of our central midfielders picked up injuries and had to be substituted in the first half, and our last remaining midfielder with game experience in that role was battling illness. So I couldn't have been more proud of the players who were called upon, without any warning, and did an excellent job against a very good opponent: I repeatedly tell my teams that good soccer players should be able to play any role, any position, if necessary. And last night we have evidence of that, specifically, Paris and Morgan gave us very very good minutes in the second half in central midfield, and Kendall deserves recognition for her mental toughness in overcoming her illness while having to play more minutes than we would've liked given how she was feeling (and not letting how she was feeling impact the quality of her play, which was excellent).             

2. Key saves and blocks. Tight games with very few chances hinge on one or two big moments. In those moments last night, Rebecca stood tall and made key saves, while her defenders shut down opportunities with committed blocks. Long may that continue.  

And now we move onto our regular season schedule in the new Kingco CrownCrest league. First up, we welcome Eastlake to Bellevue Stadium on a special Friday Night Lights game. Another excellent test for our team against a perennial 4A power program.  

No smooth seas. Just getting better. 

0-3 BHS vs Seattle Prep

“It’s the little things”

At the very first practice of each season, I sit the team down and we talk about expectations. The things I want to get across to the team and the mindset I need … want, to see from the girls each season. One of the things, if not the most important thing I stress, is doing the little things correctly. By little things I mean, correct positioning, proper trapping, passing, set piece offensive and defense, etc. These are things we take for granted when you play the game, but they are the things you do hundreds of times throughout a game. Good teams do it all.

When we struggle or neglect these crucial aspects of the game, we have a hard time. Not just our team, but any team. In our last two games, we have had a tough time with the basics of the game. Each practice we work on and discuss these fundamentals. As our competition has risen, the need to master the little things becomes more and more imperative.

Last night against Seattle Prep, we knew we were in for a fight, just as we had last week against Eastside Catholic. Prep is well-coached, gritty and they give you very little time on the ball. We knew it was important to get the ball under control quickly and move the ball with urgency. However, when we must spend extra time controlling the ball with errant traps and ball handling, it allows our opponents the opportunity to swoop in and disrupt the flow of the game. Better trapping leads to easier passing, which leads to better movement around the pitch. Better movement helps create dangerous chances around the goal.

We found ourselves losing balls we shouldn’t, letting players slip behind us with poor positioning and neglecting the little things. Prep took advantage of our mistakes throughout the game. All three goals we surrendered were split-second lapses of concentration and focus that allow them to get in behind us and score.

We’re just four games into the season and we are still getting to know each other as we learn our strengths and weaknesses. I like the fight in the girls and can’t say they ever give up. We just need to tighten up our game and raise our skill level. I think if we can accomplish that, we can hang with these teams. I can tell the girls can see where we need to get, but it going to take more effort and focus. It’s my job to pave the way. It’s a quick season so we got some work to do. I’m confident we have it in us.

It's the little things.

​On to the next battle. Friday night vs Eastlake at home. Hope to see you there. Go Wolverines!

BHS 0 - 0 EC
​
Our sport can be wondrously (frustratingly?) egalitarian. Even if there are imbalances in possession, scoring chances, or every other offensive metric, teams have a chance to get a result if they remain organized and disciplined (and a bit lucky). The probabilities will always be with teams with a talent advantage, but unlike basketball, lacrosse or other higher-scoring sports, soccer gives a tactically sound team a chance for a point, or better. And so it was last night against Eastside Catholic. The Crusaders are tough and well-organized. And although last night was one of those very rare games when the opposition doesn't record a single shot, EC earned their 0-0 tie by remaining balanced and resolute defensively, especially in the second half when we applied a tremendous amount of pressure on their backline and goalkeeper.  
 
So we take our 0-0 result and absorb the lessons that will make us better going forward in similarly stingy games. First and foremost, we played much better soccer in our 0-0 tie versus EC than we did in our 4-1 victory over Shorewood. Yes, I like the Shorewood scoreline better too, but patterns of play from our girls, especially when building possession out of the back, were significantly more poised and confident last night. The stats support what my eyes observed: 14 shots/ 3 corners for Bellevue, 0 shots and 1 corner for EC. Despite the statistical advantages, it never felt like a lopsided game, EC did a good job of keeping the game in the midfield and repelling our attempts to get behind their defense. Even so, if not for two hit crossbars and the left post, we'd be celebrating a victory rather than taking lessons from a stalemate. And our team defense was excellent. We aspire to attack with 11, and defend with 11, and last night every player in blue did their job defensively keeping a very solid EC from getting a single shot all night. That's tremendous. More of the same please.  
 
Next week presents another excellent challenge for our team as we welcome Seattle Prep, one of the most successful girls' high school programs in Washington, to Bellevue Stadium on Tuesday night. Prep games are always competitive. We have knocked them out of the state playoffs twice, and they got revenge a few years ago in the quarterfinals. It's always a battle against the Panthers. And then we get our lone opportunity for Friday Night Lights, as we welcome 4A power Eastlake in our Kingco Crown-Crest league opener.
 
So we'll rest our weary legs over the weekend, eat some pancakes on Sunday morning at our Applebee's fundraiser, and prepare to go again next week. Big thanks to the supporters and families in attendance last night.

Bellevue vs Eastside Catholic 1-3

3rd minute Charlotte (Talia)
20th E.C. goal
34th E.C. goal
74th E. C. goal
 
Peter and I have been doing these postgame recaps ever since I arrived here seven years ago. We agreed it gives us a chance to express our feelings about the game after a night of thought and it tends to be quite therapeutic.  I have been lucky in my years coaching soccer at Bellevue High School that I have not had to write very many of these particular recaps. That is, a recap after a loss.

We got brought back down to earth last night by a very good and deep Eastside Catholic team. Our first two games of the season were easy affairs and gave us a chance to get to know each other and to introduce our style of play to the girls. With wide open spaces and ample time on the ball, we moved easily up and down the field with ease and the goals were plentiful.

I could see it coming a mile away that our competition was going to ramp up and we would need to step up our game to keep pace. Last night, EC gave us all we could handle and more. As we prepared for this game, I reminded the team constantly that previous success does not guarantee future success. It is earned.

We had a dream start to the game. As we’ve seen on a regular basis, Talia got a ball and raced down the right side in just the third minute of the game. She sent one of her patented crosses right into the middle of the penalty area where Charlotte was waiting anxiously. Charlotte’s first bite of the apple came up empty, but she persevered and was able to poke the ball into the net on her second chance. Wow. It happened so fast we didn’t know how to react. Was this going to be another easy game? Is this team really that good?

From there, we continued to fight, and the game was very even. Both teams were fighting hard, but EC began to slowly show their skill and tenacity as the first half wore on. They started winning the ever-so-important 50-50 balls, started pushing us off the ball and connecting passes. Wait a minute! That’s how we want to play. Ugh.
We were left chasing the ball and not dictating the tempo and possession as we had the first two games. We got frazzled and balls began bouncing off our feet instead of clean traps and we struggled to find our teammates as the Crusaders pressed us everywhere we turned. The game changed in the 21st minute when their speedy midfielder (No. 14) gathered a long ball at midfield (yes, midfield) and out raced three Bellevue defenders toward goal and slotted home a nice goal as she crashed into a hard-charging Katelyn. A great individual effort.

But she wasn’t done yet. With the first half coming to a close, she once again plucked a loose ball from a crowd on the left flank and raced toward goal. From the 30-yard line, she weaved through four defenders, muscled past the last two and slipped the ball underneath Katelyn for her second goal of the game. Kudos to her.
Another outstanding play. Halftime 2-1 EC

At halftime we were in a bit of a daze as one player was dominating us. She pushed us off the ball twice and was able to race untouched and score two goals. So, we talked about how we needed to get more aggressive with our tackles, more precise on the ball and start dictating the game.

I was proud of the way we turned things around after halftime. There was a bit more possession, more bite in our challenges and lots of hustle. The second half, I felt, was quite even has both teams battled but neither could muster up any real good opportunities. As time ticked down and our legs got weary, the game got away from us. EC is a VERY deep team. I think they had 10-11 players on their bench, and they rotated freely. That meant fresh legs constantly entering the game and it caught up with us.

As we pushed and pushed for an equalizer, a long ball EC clearance found (guess who?) No. 14 once again just past midfield. And, as she did twice before, she slipped past our last defender and scored her third goal of the game. Final: 3-1.

It was a tough way to come back to earth but a great learning experience. As the competition level rises, so must ours or else we will be left behind. We fought to the end, but our legs just weren’t there to salvage this game. As I’ve stated before, scoring three goals in one game is quite a feat. So, congratulations to No.. 14. She earned each of those goals.

We have lots to take away from this game and much to improve upon for our upcoming games. Nothing will come easy from this point forward. I saw glimpses of it Thursday night, let’s just hope we see more of it in the future.

See you Tuesday as Seattle Prep comes to visit. Should be another battle.

Bellevue 4-1 Shorewood
26th min Saleen PK
31st min Morgan (Emily) FK
34th min Shorewood goal
42nd min Saleen (Maddy)
64th min Paris (Kaitlyn) corner

There are 14 mountain peaks on our planet that are over 8000 meters in elevation. This week I saw the documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible" about Nepalese mountaineer Nimsdai Purja's attempt to climb all 14 in seven months. For context, less than 40 people in history have summited all 14 peaks, and before Nimsdai's record-breaking attempt, the previous best time for accomplishing that feat was over 7 years. Why so few, and why so long? Because it's hard. And risky. The amount of careful planning, physical preparation, mental toughness, and skillful teamwork required to climb one 8000-meter peak is grueling, let alone 14 successful attempts in short succession. And although "Nims" rightfully gets the recognition for [spoiler alert] completing such an audacious accomplishment (he's a total badass), what struck me most was that none of it would've been possible without the complete trust between Nims and his fun-loving and elite climbing team of Nepalese mountaineers. When climbing serious 8k+ meter mountains like Everest, K2 or Annapurna (one death per 3 climbers who make the Annapurna summit if anyone is looking to quantify the "riskiness" of such things), your team is forging ahead and doing the unglamorous tasks like securing ropes or hauling equipment (or shooting video for Netflix). Without a team that is committed to the success of the campaign, big audacious goals are impossible. Belief is such an important ingredient, which is why before Nims began their first expedition of 14, he called his attempt "Project Possible."  

Is summiting K2 similar to a successful season in Washington high school soccer? Well perhaps I get a tiny bit hyperbolic in these things, but I do know that without every player committing to their role, and without every player trusting that their teammates will give their utmost, getting to the summit is much less likely. Even in the sometimes arduous climb that is high school girls soccer. 

And so last night we took the field against defending Wesco champion Shorewood, our next attempt in the 14 games left in this regular season. And...it was a bit rugged in the opening phases. We worked hard defensively and didn't allow many chances for Shorewood, but in possession, we lacked composure and didn't have much rhythm. Despite our disjointed attack, we took the lead in the 24th minute with a crisp and confident penalty taken by Saleen, who had been upended in the box moments earlier in one of those fouls that are so obvious that both teams just stop and look at the referee a fraction of a second BEFORE the whistle is even blown. 1-0 Bellevue. Five minutes later we increased our lead as Emily launched a long FK into the Shorewood box and Morgan reacted quickest, bravely heading past the charging keeper. 2-0 Bellevue.  And it seemed like we finally had the game in control...until... two minutes later when we conceded from a misjudged header that deflected off of the Shorewood striker and into our net (not offsides, the video evidence is clear). Unfortunate. And 2-1 halftime.  

At halftime, we asked for more composure in possession and fluidity in attack, and we got it right away. Direct from the kick-off we maintained possession, Mia raced down the left wing and sent in a dangerous cross that we narrowly missed converting.  From the subsequent goalkeeper punt, Maddy won the ball with a confident header, Saleen picked up the loose ball, beat her defender on the dribble, and blasted a shot into the upper near-post corner from 20 yards. Magnificent finish. 3-1 Bellevue and the tone was set. The rest of the second half was significantly better than the first. We played team soccer, rotating the ball across the field, finding feet instead of rushing low-percentage through balls into tight areas. We added our final goal in the 64th minute from a well-taken corner. Kaitlyn headed the ball downwards at the back post (!!!) and looked certain to score but the keeper made a nice reaction save that bounced directly to Paris who scored from the doorstep. 4-1 Bellevue. Final score. Solid victory.  

Although we scored two goals in each period, the statistics tell a tale of two very different halves:  5 shots in the first half, and 15 in the 2nd for a total of 20 attempts and 4 corners for Bellevue versus 5 total shots and 0 corners for Shorewood. Let's remember what the second half felt like and do more of that... 

The most gratifying point from a coaching perspective is that our Shorewood win had important contributions from the entire roster: Saleen's PK was preceded by two hard ball-winning challenges by Maddy at midfield that launched the counter-attack that led to the foul in the box; Morgan came off the bench and gave us a big lift in possession from her striker position, including her first varsity goal; Emily, Kaitlyn and Rebecca were the only Bellevue players who played all 80 minutes, providing a rock-solid cornerstone at the base of our defense;  and freshman Paris earned her first goal in a Bellevue jersey and celebrated with joyful enthusiasm surrounded by her teammates. Those are just a few, but I could list contributions from every Bellevue player in key moments. It was a very nice team win.   

We are blessed to have extraordinarily talented individuals in the 2024 edition of Bellevue Girls soccer; however, to achieve our lofty goals this year, we need to play like a TEAM. Everyone needs to take their gritty turn setting the ropes before we have a chance to reach the summit. Contested headers, brave clearances, tracking back, tough tackles, quick counter-pressing, and organized defensive shape are the foundation upon which we build fluid, creative, and joyful attacking soccer. One can't happen without the other.  

Big smiles on the summit are always preceded by the hundreds of little tasks contributed by every member of the team. We have an opportunity to climb again tomorrow against Metro League stalwart Eastside Catholic. Game times are later on Thursday, 6pm for JV, and an 8pm kick-off for varsity.      

13 more peaks to climb in our 2024 regular season over the next 7 weeks. Project Possible.

6-0 BHS vs Shorewood HS

13th min: Emily (Tara)
18th: Elina (Talia)
20th: Tara
27th: Charlotte (Talia)
29th: Talia (Devin)
33rd: Serena (Mariah)
 
The second game of the season for the Bellevue High School girl’s JV soccer team looked very similar to our first game against Sehome HS in Bellingham. The Shorewood StormRays came back to Memorial Field for the second straight year on Tuesday night. As was the case last Tuesday, we started the game a bit tentatively as we gauged our opponent and level of competition.

Last night however, we were quicker to shake off the nerves and got down to business. Tara and Emily got our first half onslaught started in the 13th minute as the two combined for a nifty goal. Tara dribbled down the right side and whipped a tasty cross for Emily to smash home. And we were off.
Although it was just our second game of the season and there are lots of games and tougher competition ahead, the girls put together one of the better halves of soccer I have coached here at Bellevue. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but the level of soccer, possession and combination passing last night is what we will be trying to execute all season long.

Our second goal was a prime example. Elina gathered a pass at midfield, turned and found Talia waiting on the right flank. With a very simple, give and go, Elina sent Talia streaking down the sideline with a great through pass. She was kindly rewarded as she continued her run, and Talia sent a screaming turf duster across the mouth of the goal for an easy tap-in goal. Wow. Honestly, it doesn’t get much better than that.
From there, the goals came fast and furious with some great combinations and succinct passing. Every player on the pitch contributed whether it was in the build-up play toward one of our six first-half goals, or playing tight defense to preserve another shutout.

The halftime conversation centered mainly around continuing our stellar possession play, putting our work in while maintaining good sportsmanship. Mission accomplished. We tried desperately to get Kendall, one of our captains, a second-half goal to reward her for her excellent defensive efforts so far this season. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come, but it’s the effort that counts. Next time.

We know stiffer competition awaits us, but these first two games have been a good warmup. It will be a tough task to play as well as we did in the first half last night, but we will give it our best. If we can, this could be a special season.

​Hope to see everyone out for our next game Thursday vs Eastside Catholic. It’s a team we know very little about, so it should be a hard-fought battle. Go Wolverines!

Bellevue 1-0 Sehome
24tth Anna (Nora)

As some of you know, my middle daughter is an equestrian competitor in "Eventing," which is essentially a horsey triathlon. You may have seen some video highlights from Versailles a few weeks ago at the Olympics. Eventing is best known for its cross-country courses in which the rider and horse have to navigate several miles of fences, mostly at a gallop, over fixed walls, ponds, shrubberies, and other visually tricky obstacles the course designer has created to test the courage and ability of each team. As a rider progresses up the levels, the courses get more challenging. Decisions have to be made quickly and the fences are purposefully arranged to be optical illusions. You know, stuff designed to terrify a horse and rider on the course (and their parents), like a fence perched at the apex of hill, with a steep 10 foot drop on the opposite side with nothing but a murky pond in the landing area. During competition, some horses get (understandably) spooked and refuse to jump. But most leap into the unknown, landing in the seemingly scary pond that they discover is only a foot deep and not nearly as terrifying as they originally thought. It's a test. A scary test, but a passable test if the horse and rider trust each other, prepare diligently beforehand, and then run the course with determined confidence.  

And so we began our high school soccer season, leaping over our first infinity-ledge fence into the unknown. Last night was the first obstacle in our 15-fence cross-country course, and it was much trickier than it looked on the map. Sehome is a 2A school, so it would be easy to assume the bigger school would have an advantage. Nope. It was obvious from the kick-off that the Sehome squad was athletic, quick, skillful, and well-coached. And although we emerged from our first test with a passing grade, a 1-0 victory, the host team gave us everything we could handle. and if not for several brave saves from Rebecca in goal, and narrow misses from both Sehome wingers, the result could've been different.

The game began at a frenzied pace, with little rhythm, but lots of frantic running. For several of our players, last night was their varsity debut. And as you go up the levels, the tests get trickier, and on-field decisions have to be made more quickly. Opponents are bigger, faster, and stronger. Spaces are tighter. But the game is the same. Eventually, we settled down and began to link multiple passes, and not surprisingly, scoring chances followed. In the 24th minute, Nora pounced on a Sehome clearance and sent a clever curling diagonal pass over the Mariner backline. The Sehome keeper raced out of her goal to collect, but the side-spin of the ball, and the quick and brave running of Anna from the left wing earned us an excellent goal as our pink-shoed triplet opened her varsity account by beating the keeper to the ball and rolling in our opening goal of the 2024 season. 1-0 Bellevue.  

The remainder of the game see-sawed back and forth and it wouldn't have been a surprise if it ended in a 5-5 high-scoring deadlock given all of the chances created at both ends. But our team was very disciplined and kept a good defensive shape throughout, covering for each other with balance and toughness, and not leaving gaps for the speedy Sehome wingers to exploit. And despite the offensive side of our play being a bit disjointed and technically sloppy, we still created plenty of chances. Saleen was unlucky to hit both posts and the crossbar over the 80 minutes, and we had several clear chances from corners where our directional guidance systems on offensive headers need re-calibration; however...we got the result. And we are thankful for it.  The final stats reflect the overall flow: Bellevue with 16 chances and 9 corners, and Sehome with 10 chances and 3 corners: a slight statistical advantage, but certainly not overwhelming.   

Our next game is next Tuesday for our home opener against one of Wesco's best teams, Shorewood. Last season, Shorewood was the 2nd seeded team in the State tournament, and will surely provide a good challenge.

Another opportunity for our girls to gallop to an infinity-ledge obstacle and bravely leap into the unknown. 

And we're off and running. 

7-0  BHS @ Sehome HS

Emily (Serena)
Tara
Emily (Charlotte)
Charlotte (Serena)
Tara (Serena)
Addie
Elina

It was a hot evening in Bellingham on Thursday as the Bellevue High School girl’s Junior Varsity soccer squad hit the field for the first time in 2024. With only two full practices under our belt, it was hard to determine exactly what this team was going to bring to the table this season.

With an unprecedented 8 freshman on the roster, I was a little apprehensive heading into this game as I’m just learning names let alone positions and talent. This Sehome JV team lost just one game last season and won 13. Needless to say, I was expecting a good test for our first game.

As I’ve learned in my seven years at BHS, roster numbers and talent are very cyclical. Some years JV teams are blessed with upper classmen that barely miss out on a varsity spot and some years it can be a rebuilding year.
The game started slowly in the heat and jitters were evident. Peter and I spoke after the game that for the first few minutes we were both a little nervous as Sehome came out feisty and ready to play.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, it didn’t last long. We quickly took control and we settled into our pre-game emphasis: possession. We earned a penalty kick on a handball in the penalty area about 10 minutes into the game and it seemed to calm everyone’s nerves. Although Tara uncharacteristically skyed the ball over the net (the last I’ll mention it), we started to play much better soccer after that point.

From there, the goals came quickly. Emily got us started with a looping shot over the keeper for our first goal of the season. Tara redeemed herself minutes later with a tap in after the goalkeeper fumbled a shot. Emily got another soon after when she collected a cross from Charlotte and put it nicely into the back of the net. Charlotte finished off our first half scoring as she shuffled in a lose ball after a Serena cross. Halftime 4-0.

At halftime we talked about stepping up our intensity. With the goals coming easily, I had asked the girls to work on possession and not goals. Instead, the intensity dropped, and our level of play suffered. In games like these, where goals are not an issue, we want to respect our opponents but get our work in. We got a little lazy toward the end of the first half, so we all agreed we needed to step things up a notch in the second half.

To my delight, the girls came out firing. With renewed intensity and the goal toward working the ball around the field and keeping possession, three more goals came fast after the break. Tara, Addie N and Elina all tallied in the second half.

While the game was easier than expected, it was a great opportunity to play together and get to know each other. Being our first time on the pitch, I was pleased with the effort and result. Things are guaranteed to get much tougher as we get into the bulk of our season. We will be playing bigger schools with deeper rosters and (gulp) faster players. We will have our work cut out for us.

There is lots to work on to get this squad where I want it but looking at this young team and the effort they put out yesterday in difficult conditions, I think our future is bright.  

A shout out to Emily and Serena who each had a hat trick (3 goals for Emily and 3 assists for Serena) in their first high school game. Congrats. I’ll expect that every game 😊

Bellevue 1-0 Sehome
24tth Anna (Nora)

As some of you know, my middle daughter is an equestrian competitor in "Eventing," which is essentially a horsey triathlon. You may have seen some video highlights from Versailles a few weeks ago at the Olympics. Eventing is best known for its cross-country courses in which the rider and horse have to navigate several miles of fences, mostly at a gallop, over fixed walls, ponds, shrubberies, and other visually tricky obstacles the course designer has created to test the courage and ability of each team. As a rider progresses up the levels, the courses get more challenging. Decisions have to be made quickly and the fences are purposefully arranged to be optical illusions. You know, stuff designed to terrify a horse and rider on the course (and their parents), like a fence perched at the apex of hill, with a steep 10 foot drop on the opposite side with nothing but a murky pond in the landing area. During competition, some horses get (understandably) spooked and refuse to jump. But most leap into the unknown, landing in the seemingly scary pond that they discover is only a foot deep and not nearly as terrifying as they originally thought. It's a test. A scary test, but a passable test if the horse and rider trust each other, prepare diligently beforehand, and then run the course with determined confidence.  

And so we began our high school soccer season, leaping over our first infinity-ledge fence into the unknown. Last night was the first obstacle in our 15-fence cross-country course, and it was much trickier than it looked on the map. Sehome is a 2A school, so it would be easy to assume the bigger school would have an advantage. Nope. It was obvious from the kick-off that the Sehome squad was athletic, quick, skillful, and well-coached. And although we emerged from our first test with a passing grade, a 1-0 victory, the host team gave us everything we could handle. and if not for several brave saves from Rebecca in goal, and narrow misses from both Sehome wingers, the result could've been different.

The game began at a frenzied pace, with little rhythm, but lots of frantic running. For several of our players, last night was their varsity debut. And as you go up the levels, the tests get trickier, and on-field decisions have to be made more quickly. Opponents are bigger, faster, and stronger. Spaces are tighter. But the game is the same. Eventually, we settled down and began to link multiple passes, and not surprisingly, scoring chances followed. In the 24th minute, Nora pounced on a Sehome clearance and sent a clever curling diagonal pass over the Mariner backline. The Sehome keeper raced out of her goal to collect, but the side-spin of the ball, and the quick and brave running of Anna from the left wing earned us an excellent goal as our pink-shoed triplet opened her varsity account by beating the keeper to the ball and rolling in our opening goal of the 2024 season. 1-0 Bellevue.  

The remainder of the game see-sawed back and forth and it wouldn't have been a surprise if it ended in a 5-5 high-scoring deadlock given all of the chances created at both ends. But our team was very disciplined and kept a good defensive shape throughout, covering for each other with balance and toughness, and not leaving gaps for the speedy Sehome wingers to exploit. And despite the offensive side of our play being a bit disjointed and technically sloppy, we still created plenty of chances. Saleen was unlucky to hit both posts and the crossbar over the 80 minutes, and we had several clear chances from corners where our directional guidance systems on offensive headers need re-calibration; however...we got the result. And we are thankful for it.  The final stats reflect the overall flow: Bellevue with 16 chances and 9 corners, and Sehome with 10 chances and 3 corners: a slight statistical advantage, but certainly not overwhelming.   

Our next game is next Tuesday for our home opener against one of Wesco's best teams, Shorewood. Last season, Shorewood was the 2nd seeded team in the State tournament, and will surely provide a good challenge.

Another opportunity for our girls to gallop to an infinity-ledge obstacle and bravely leap into the unknown. 

And we're off and running. 

Bellevue 3-0 Bonney Lake

6th min Mia (Leah)
58th min Saleen (Mia)...or Mia (Alex)?  
59th min Red Card Bonney Lake (2nd Yellow)
60th min Alex (unassisted)

A wonderful thing about winning the Kingco Championship (our district tournament) is that we were among the first teams to qualify for State and earned 11 days of rest. Great right? But even after tryouts way back in August, we never had to wait eleven days to play a game. It's a long time. And although we have had some good training sessions in preparation for Bonney, nothing can simulate the physicality, nerves, and pace of actual games...let alone tournament elimination soccer. So the coaching staff entered our first 2023 state tournament game with optimism, but recognizing that gameday rust might tarnish our polish since our win against LW. 

Foreshadowing. 

The game started well. After just six minutes we had a lead, as Lily took a throw-in deep in Bonney territory that Lillian flicked centrally at the top of the box where Leah was waiting to help it along, squaring to Mia near the top of the D. Mia spun her defender and hit a ferocious one-time shot with her left foot that caromed off of the top of the crossbar and into the net. It was a promising start, and flick headers is something that we had worked on earlier this week in training so it was nice to see things move from the training ground to a game...Unfortunately, it wasn't indicative of what was to follow: a herky-jerky half of disjointed soccer where we failed to connect many passes, were late to tackles or dangled a leg, and were lucky to get to halftime with our lead intact. Rust. Very rusty.

But all season this team has found a way to rally, to persevere, even when we aren't playing our most composed and stylish soccer. Our rally started with some personnel rotation. Our game plan for Bonney was to rotate our lineup liberally to take advantage of our depth, especially given that Bonney had played a competitive and tough game on Tuesday in a 2-1 victory over Southridge in the first round of the State tournament. Eleven days versus 2 days of rest. So we substituted early and often. And every player who came off the bench provided excellent minutes to our cause, especially in the 2nd half. It was the catalyst for a significantly better team performance in the final 40 minutes. The insurance goal came in the 58th minute from a Bonney Lake corner, their first and only of the game. Alex cleared with a powerful header upfield where Mia latched onto the ball a good 75 yards from the Panther goal. And. we. were. off. and. running. Mia charged straight at the final two Bonney defenders for the next 50 yards with Saleen sprinting in support to her right. Mia cut back across the defenders in the Bonney box and fired a shot that the keeper could only parry to her left...where Saleen was able to pounce and pound the ball into the open net (or did it cross the line before the final touch?...). 2-0 Bellevue. Mia's direct full-field run and shot were magnificent, but Saleen making the same 75yd run, at full sprint, staying onsides, in support of the play was exactly what we had discussed at halftime: wanting the ball and working hard to be in position to get it. So I was thrilled that Mia and Saleen combined for such a needed, and lung-busting counter-attack, regardless of which player got the final touch. Well done to all involved. 

Then directly from the kickoff, Bonney gave the ball away on their right and Mia picked up the loose ball at midfield right in front of our bench...and was clattered with a very late tackle directly on her ankle. Do I think the Bonney player was trying to hurt Mia? Absolutely not. The Bonney captain was likely frustrated at conceding a second goal (understandable), and the subsequent quick giveaway by her teammate directly from their kick-off couldn't have helped, and she made a rash tackle. It happens. But unfortunately, the Bonney player had already picked up a yellow card in the first half (clattering Maddy), and the lateness and intensity of her foul on Mia left the referee with no choice: Second yellow card. Which then by rule resulted in a red card and immediate ejection. The visiting Panthers were not only down two goals but had to play the rest of the game with 10 players. 

A minute after the red card, in the 60th, Alex intercepted a wayward Bonney pass 25 yards from their goal after excellent pressing by Saleen, and our senior captain didn't hesitate, unleashing a powerball knuckler that was already bulging the net before the keeper even moved. And that's how fast a game can change. Two minutes prior, the game was a tightly contested one-goal game. Two minutes later, the score was 3-0 and Bonney was down a player, and the game was effectively over. Over last 20 minutes we patiently maintained possession and saw the game to conclusion. No need for a wider margin. Final score. 3-0 Bellevue.

Well done team on a playoff shutout. We attack as 11, and we defend as 11, but our backline deserves kudos for managing a very good and busy Bonney center forward. Well done.   

So now we move on to face our semi-final opponent from last year: #9 Shorecrest. Shorecrest has returned almost everyone from their Final Four run in 2022. They are organized and press hard all over the field. The Scots advanced to the quarterfinal by defeating Peninsula 1-0 in golden goal 2nd overtime. They will be riding high from an emotional and dramatic win and I believe it will likely be a very competitive and tightly contested quarterfinal with a birth to the Final Four at Sparks Stadium the spoils for the victor. The kick-off is at 6pm. Bellevue stadium. Our last game on home turf for this Bellevue team. And for our seniors. Let's make it one to remember with a joyful celebration at the final whistle. No more rust.   

Three. 

Is the magic number. 

Ding ding.

Bellevue 4-1 LW

4th min 1-0 Alex (Leah)
20th min 2-0 Alex (Mia)
51st min 2-1 LW goal
55th min 2-1 LW missed PK
65th min 3-1 Mia (Alex)
72nd min 4-1 Alex (Raina)

The 2023 Kingco Champion is Bellevue Girls Soccer!!! 

Be Fearless and play. That was my message to our team before we kicked off against LW in the Kingco Championship. Opportunities to play for a trophy in a final are rare. At any level. Nerves can jangle. Butterflies can flutter. Senses working overtime. Thoughts get foggier. And time moves more quickly but somehow also more slowly...and those feelings are wonderful!  Playing in a final is so so special. It's to be cherished. So all I wanted for our team was to absorb all those emotions, enjoy the slightly queasy joyous anticipation of a big game, be fearless, and play. 
 
It is difficult to beat a good team three times in a season. LW knows our tendencies and personnel, and we know theirs. But there is a difference between understanding a team and stopping them. Was the game pretty? Absolutely not. The first half more closely resembled a scrum in the Rugby World Cup (congratulations S. Africa) than the flowing poetry of the beautiful game. But that's the thing about playing a fall-season high school sport like girls soccer, by late October and November, the conditions worsen, and a team needs to be able to win in lots of different ways. It's like the old cliche in the NFL that passing teams own August and September, but by December and January, if you want to contend for a championship, you need to be able to run the ball and play solid defense. The same is true in high school girls soccer. When conditions allow, we can play a fast, flowing passing possession game, but sometimes, when the ball and field are slippery slick, the air is cold, there are more throw-ins than connected passes, and your opponent is launching a relentless amount of long balls at your backline, we can field a line-up that can win with tackle toughness, aerial superiority, and lightning quick counter-attacks. And that's what we did. 

The first few minutes set a positive tone for our girls. In the 4th minute, Mia got around the LW defense on the left wing and earned a corner. LW cleared but Maddy recovered and recycled the ball back to Mia who sent a cross into a dangerous area, Lillian and Leah both battled LW defenders for the ball, Leah emerged victorious and slid a simple pass across the box to Alex who finished from 8 yards. 1-0 Bellevue. Gritty. Then in the 20th minute, we added a second. Mia alertly tucked inside from the wing on defense, and when the LW midfielder took a heavy touch trying to switch the ball, Mia was in the right place to win the challenge just inside our half. And she was off. 60 yards and several desperate LW defenders later, Mia cut-back a delightful cross (on the ground) that Alex hammered home from 10 yards. Devastatingly quick, clever, direct, and efficient. And it all started with good defensive positioning and awareness. Halftime score. 2-0 Bellevue. 

We discussed cleaning up a few things at half (more patience, better communication, FTJ, trying to pass the ball to players wearing blue jerseys, etc.) and took the field confident but wary of an inevitable LW push. And yet, for the first ten minutes of the 2nd half, we maintained control of the game. It still wasn't glittering football, but we weren't put under a lot of pressure either. Then in the 51st minute, the LW center-back launched yet another innocuous-looking, long, looping ball towards our box which we allowed to bounce (unacceptable), and even worse, we didn't challenge for the 2nd ball ("you take it"; "no, no, I insist, you take it: "oh really, I couldn't impose, you take it..."). Finally, the LW attacker ignored our deferential indecision and simply hit the ball into the open net from 6 yards. 2-1 Bellevue. Frustrating. But mistakes happen, and we move on. But then on top of that, we had some odd refereeing just a few minutes later. For the most part, I thought our crew did a good job managing the game, the center had a respectful and decisive demeanor, and although the game wasn't perfect (no game is), it was never out-of-control or tilted either way; BUT, I'm still perplexed at how the LW forward was able to push Amber down (hard) outside of our box (the video is so clear, straight-arm push...) without a foul, and the subsequent scramble in the box led to a PK. Yes, it was a clear and deserved PK, but if high school soccer had VAR, the penalty would've been waived away due to the clear and obvious infraction in the build-up. But no VAR. So the PK stood. And this was the pivotal moment of the game. With a successful PK, the score would've been tied and the entire tone of the game would've shifted dramatically. However, Emilie stood her ground, made herself big and intimidating, and the LW shooter sent the ball high and wide. Unjust bullet dodged. 

Less than ten minutes after that, in the 65th minute, we had restored our two-goal advantage. Leah won the ball at midfield with excellent pressing and then nutmeg-passed the ball through the legs of the charging LW defender to Alex who was playing striker. Alex in the open field with only two defenders to beat is a terrifying nightmare for a center-back. So it was fitting, on the night before Halloween, that Alex would make LW nightmares come true, splitting the center-back and fullback with one touch and racing alone on goal before firing a hard shot that the Kang keeper did well to parry...but only as far as a sprinting Mia, who had worked hard to support the run and got her reward by blasting the rebound into the back of the net from 6 yards. 3-1 Bellevue. Our sideline shelter was jumping in celebration. In the 73rd minute, the icing was spread on the victory cake, as Alex completed her Kingco Championship hat-trick. Mia again got around her defender on the left wing, crossed to the back post where Raina calmly squared a controlled volley to Alex to master-blaster into the net from 5 yards out. 4-1 Bellevue. Final score.

The AD brought the trophy onto the field where captain Gaby scooped it up and was immediately surrounded by the rest of the 2023 Kingco Champion Bellevue Wolverines In a jumping, hollering, pink-socked, group hug of happiness. Photos. Smiles. Lucky Charms. And the three-peat is complete. This is the 10th (yes tenth!!) consecutive year that Bellevue has played in the Kingco Championship game, and the 2023 title is our third-in-row, with 7 total championship titles during that period. More importantly, our win against LW tonight qualifies us for the 2023 state tournament. We. are. going. to. State!!!  

Stats were in our favor, but not overwhelmingly. 15/5 shots/corners to 7/1 for the Kangs. Good enough. Job done.   
 
So what's next? The state tournament seeding and brackets will be released on Sunday afternoon, November 5th. We won't know our fate until then, but we'll likely hold onto our #1 ranking and be given the #1 seed in the tournament, which means that we'll get a BYE in the first round which will be played on Tuesday 11/7. Therefore, we'll host a pod of four teams for the round of 16 at Bellevue High School beginning on Friday, 11/10. If we win our sweet sixteen game, we will advance to play a quarter-final on Saturday, 11/11. The State Tournament Final Four is Nov 17th &18th and is held each year at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Every year, our ambition is to go to Sparks. Only four teams get the privilege, and we want to be one of them. 

So we have a long rest until our next playoff game. We'll take Tuesday off from training and resume on Wednesday and Thursday this week with Friday another rest day. And next week we'll begin to earnestly prepare for our first state tournament opponent.   

Thank you to all of our friends and family, and especially our student supporters for giving us a home-field advantage with enthusiastic cheering and clever heckling ("cucumber?") against LW. It makes a difference.

I'm so proud of our team. 

The magic number is four. 

Bellevue 3-2 Liberty

2nd min BHS 0-1 Liberty goal
16th min BHS 0-2 Liberty goal
34th min BHS 1-2 Alex (Maddy) corner
58th min BHS 2-2 Alex (Saleen)
81st min BHS 3-2 Lillian (Saleen & Alex)

The coaching staff spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach our last regular season game against a very good Liberty team. For league standings, the result didn't matter. However, I'm a firm believer that momentum does matter, and as long as we were going to take a long twisty bus ride to the Renton hills, we should treat the game like a serious dress rehearsal for our upcoming playoff campaign. Full commitment. And those were our marching orders as we took the field on the first really cold and chilly evening of our season. The Liberty Stadium is beautiful, but sits in a little valley and it feels like the field is 10 degrees colder than the published temperature. And that's exactly how we looked as the referee blew his whistle for kick-off: cold. Arms folded across jerseys. fingers pulling on long sleeves and shoulders scrunched up around our ears as if that would add a few degrees of body warmth. And so it wasn't surprising that we played like we looked: cold. On the other side, Liberty came out buzzing, their excellent midfield passing and moving in constant triangles with their spacing discipline giving them quick switch opportunities with every possession. And that's how they scored their opening goal in just the 2nd minute, we pressed as a pack on our right wing but Liberty was able to break the press and find their midfielder for a quick switch to their left winger. Our defensive angles were wrong, the winger charged into our box and hit a wonderful shot into the upper right corner. Unstoppable shot, but our slowness in defensive shifting created the space for the Liberty opportunity. Again, we looked cold. 

And in the 16th minute, we dug ourselves a deeper hole. Again, Liberty rotated the ball to their left winger, we didn't close the space quick enough, and the winger hit a speculative shot from 40 yards that arced high in the chilly air...before bouncing into the back of the net. For those of you who have watched Ted Lasso, you'll probably remember Ted's speech about "being a goldfish." That having the short memory of a goldfish enables us to move on without any lasting repercussions. Mistakes happen in soccer. I would even argue that mistakes should be encouraged in soccer (at least for the first time of trying...) because that means we are attempting new things and gaining valuable experience. But sometimes we just need to forget and move on. This is one of those times. Goldfish. Enough said. Bellevue 0-2.

Then, 0-2 down, we finally began to warm up and slowly impose ourselves on the game. I liked that we didn't panic or try to score three goals with every kick of the ball. There was plenty of time to rectify the situation, but we did need to increase our overall tempo. And we did. In the 34th minute our increased pressure and ball possession got us back into the game. We earned a corner, and as we saw twice against MI on Tuesday, Maddy delivered an excellent ball into a dangerous area and Alex rose highest to head the ball firmly into the net. Bellevue 1-2. Halftime.

We made some adjustments at halftime, but mostly the message was about intensity and tight organization. Liberty's triangle of midfielders is really good, but due to their style of play, they have to cover a lot of territory to make their system work. And that's tiring. And so we consistently rotated our midfield and wingers, and wore them down with switch passing of our own. The midfield spaces got wider and wider. One of the obvious strengths of our team is that we aren't a starting 11, we are a team. And that enables us to keep legs fresher than most of our opponents. And so in the 58th minute, Kenny won the ball in midfield with a first-time pass to Saleen who turned deftly and released Alex down the left with an incisive backdoor pass. Alex took a touch to settle and blasted a low hard shot with her left foot that was too much for the keeper to stop. Bellevue 2-2. 

Momentum is real. And it matters. But facing must-win games next Monday, neither coach wanted an extra 10 minutes of overtime for a game that wouldn't change the overall standings. Digging deep to get a result is a collective skill that is often required in November high school soccer. And so we pressed on and I was pleased to see that the quality of our soccer got better and better. We created several excellent chances to get the game-winner in the last phase of the game, but the net didn't bulge until the 81st minute, well into the three added minutes of injury time. Lily threw the ball into Saleen down our right side and our freshman midfielder spun and took a touch into the box surrounded by four Liberty defenders. Saleen was quick enough to launch a low hard shot that the keeper was able to parry onto the far post, but the rebound seemed destined to be cleared by a well-positioned defender; however, Alex lunged to her full length and somehow got a big toe to the ball, poking it to Lillian at the top of the box...and Lillian didn't hesitate but opened her body and sent a perfectly struck banger to the upper right corner. Pandemonium. Bellevue 3-2 with almost the last kick of the ball. Final score.  

Momentum is real. And although we started slowly. Coldly. we found a way to get the job done. And that is an experience that should help us as we enter the tournament phase of our season. Safety nets are removed and every game is an opportunity to progress towards our ultimate goal.

Our game statistics reflected how the game felt. 15/5 shots/corners to 7/3 for Liberty with most of our statistical advantage coming in the second half. Not overwhelming, but enough to get across the line. As some of you know, my pre-season statistical expectation for this Bellevue team was to average 20 shots and 5 corners per game while allowing 4 shots and 1 corner for the opposition over the full course of the season. I believe in probabilities and that's a winning formula. Our final regular season statistics after last night:

Shots: 20.375
Corners: 5.06
Goals per game: 3.68 (56 goals in 16 games..all-time high)
Opposition Shots: 3.06
Opposition Corners: 0.94
Opposition Goals per game: 0.56 (9 goals in 16 games)

Spooky. And the first time a BGS varsity team exceeded every team KPI I had set in preseason. 

Now we tear up the stats of the past and focus on one game at a time. Past stats don't win games, players do. To that end, we'll welcome several JV players from our Kingco champion junior varsity squad who will join us for our playoff run. We can roster 22 players for each playoff game, and that roster can change from game to game, so we carry slightly more than that for the duration of the playoffs so that we have maximum flexibility in case of injuries, match-ups, etc. There was a very long list of JV players who were ready for varsity-level play (our JV team is full of talent), but we selected our call-ups based on positional needs and season-long performances. Most importantly, congratulations to our JV team for an excellent season. I watched every minute, and they played beautiful soccer. The future of the BGS program is strong.  

Our total focus is now on Lake Washington on Monday night. As I wrote last week, beware the angry kangaroo. And their pride will have taken a punch after the 7-0 result we put on them last time we met. So I expect an angry mob of kangaroos on Monday (yes, a group of Kangeroos is called a "mob"...). 

We'll be ready. Momentum is real.

The magic number is five

Bellevue 3-2 Liberty

2nd min BHS 1-0 Anna (Kasia)
38th min BHS 1-1 Liberty goal
48th min BHS 2-1 Arianna (Kasia  corner)
54th min BHS 3-1 Savannah (Mack)
78th min BHS 3-2 Liberty goal

Thursday night was the final game of the 2023 JV girls soccer season as we traveled to chilly Liberty High School. While the sun was out for our warm ups, the minute the sun went down, temperatures dropped, drastically.

But did it impact the girls? Maybe, but not in the first minutes of the game. We talked pregame about putting everything we had learned and worked on all season into this game. One last chance to put your mark on this season. Right way the girls came out flying. We almost scored from the kickoff if not for some last-minute defending by the Patriots. But just seconds latter a sequence of passes, the best we’ve seen all season, led to our first goal.

A ball played out of the back line started us moving forward as we found our midfielders. Two quick passes found Morgan’s feet who then tapped it to Kasia on the right flank. She took the ball all the way to the end line where she crossed it perfectly to a streaking Anna for the finish. It was an eight-pass sequence and a thing of beauty.

As much as I had hoped this would open the scoring flood gates, it just didn’t happen. Credit to Liberty who settled down after the early goal and starting connecting passes and putting us under pressure. Faith Cody, our trusted stat keeper, notified me as the first half was coming to a close that the Patriots had more shots than us. Ugh.

With just minutes to go until the break, Liberty finally broke through with a long shot from about 30 yards out. The ball floated over Sofia’s head and she couldn’t keep it out of the net. Halftime.

During our halftime discussions, talked about keeping our focus until the whistle. It is a problem we’ve had all season; giving up silly goals right before either halftime or the end of the game. Focus, focus, focus.

As I mentioned earlier, putting a mark on this final game was a big pregame talking point. And just minutes into the second half, two of our mainstays in the midfield, Arianna and Sav, put their stamp on the game. First off, Arianna found herself in the right spot in the 48th minute. A Kasia corner kick was batted down by the Patriot goalkeeper. Several players pounced on it but Mack’s shot was blocked and several Liberty clearances failed to clear the area. The ball bounced out to Ari about 12 yards out and she calmly put it in the back of the net for her first goal of the season. It was some smart soccer as she didn’t try to overhit the shot and it nicely rippled the back of the net. And speaking of first goals, Savannah was up next. Just minutes after Ari’s goal, Savannah gathered in a loose ball, cut around her defender and launched a beautiful shot over the top of the keeper. As she ran off the field, she reminded me it was her first goal since Freshman year. Congrats.

As much as I would like to say we cruised the rest of the way in this game, it just didn’t happened. Always a team that makes it hard on ourselves, a bit of miscommunication in the back lead to a Patriot goal in the 78th minute. So with minutes to go we had to see this game out clinging to a 3-2 lead. But fortunately some timely clearances and deft dribbling got us to the final whistle and we let out a sigh of relief.

The victory gave us the outright KingCo JV championship with a 8-1-1 league record (12-2-1 overall). It was a great season as we got contributions from everyone on the roster. 10 of our girls had either a goal or an assist as we scored 48 goals and had 9 shutouts.

I want to thank everyone for their support this season and a special shoutout to Stacy Heinemann our team manager. It takes an army to get through the season. Thank you.

Bellevue 6-1 Mercer Island (Senior Night)

12th min Lillian (Maddy) corner
32nd min MI Goal (slop)
38th min Saleen (Leah)
49th min OG (Mia cross)
56th min Kaitlyn (Maddy) corner
58th min Saleen (Amy)
64th min Camille (Nora)

For the third consecutive season  Bellevue Girls Soccer clinched the Kingco regular season title. It is one of three titles that we are chasing this season: League title (done),  the Kingco Tournament championship (Monday), and of course, the crown jewel, the 3A state championship (tbd). The Kingco title earns us the right to host the Kingco championship game which will be on Monday, Oct 30th at 7pm against Lake Washington (remember them?). The winner of that game will go directly to the state tournament, while the defeated team will have another chance to qualify but will need to win two additional tough games to get a bid. We'd prefer the direct route.  

What made our first title of 2023 even sweeter was that it happened on Senior Night...not only Senior Night, but Senior Night against our traditional rivals Mercer Island. It was a perfect night with a thoughtful and well-organized ceremony during pre-game. Thank you to the parent volunteers who made the night so special for our eight seniors. The flowers, the brochure, the audio recordings, the bell ringing, the decorated locker room, the photos, everything was perfect. I barely noticed the steady, cold deluge that began at JV kick-off and just got heavier throughout the evening. By "barely noticed" I mean that the damp wrinkles on my fingers had their own set of damp wrinkles. Most of us inside the bench shelter were shivering and numb, comfortably numb.

However, our play had feeling. We had a turbo-charged energy that comes from doing things for the joy, respect, and benefit of others (and the chance to beat MI); unfortunately, our positive energy didn't immediately translate into goals. Yes, we had the majority of possession, territorial advantage, and lots and lots of shots, but we ran into an MI keeper who surely had one of her best nights of the season. By the end of the game, she had recorded 16 saves which is amazing (6-7 is a busy night, 16 is heroic). It took special finishes to beat a good keeper in good form, and we got some very special finishes. It began in the 12th minute from a corner, Maddy hit a perfectly driven ball that senior Lillian headed with power into the lower side of the net. Unsaveable. 1-0 Bellevue. 

After our opening goal, it felt as if the metaphorical floodgates would open, but instead, it felt like literal floodgates had opened. The rain just kept pouring. And although we created great chances, we couldn't find the two-goal margin we eagerly sought. So of course, we conceded. In the 32nd minute, the MI recorded their first shot as the ball ping-ponged around our box after a throw-in deep in our end, before an MI player poked it home from 2 yards. Ugh. To our credit, we never panicked despite a tied scoreboard that didn't reflect the balance of play. We were playing well, controlling the tempo, and creating chances, it just didn't come as easily as we hoped (see: MI Keeper #excellent). Finally, in the 38th minute, we regained the lead. Leah won the ball in the left channel and squared for Saleen who shoulder-dropped the first MI defender and glided past a second before stroking a confident shot past the keeper. Smooth. 2-1 Bellevue. Halftime. 

The second half was more of the same. One-way traffic. And rain, lots and lots of rain that made for slick soggy conditions. In the 49th minute, we added a third, although due to unfortunate circumstances, the MI defender accidentally hit the ball into her own net from a great cross from Mia on the left wing. We don't wish an OG on anyone, but it's part of the game so we'll accept the lucky break and be thankful for it. Then the long-awaited goal deluge began. Like against LW on Saturday, we had a devastatingly sharp 10 minutes: in the 56th Kaitlyn scored a wonderful laser header from a corner by Maddy; then in the 58th, Saleen was released down the right wing from Amy's midfield header off of an MI goal kick, and our freshman gave two MI defenders the twisties, before slotting home with style. And in the 64th, the bench cleared in boisterous joy as senior Camille took Nora's diagonal pass on the left wing, cut inside her defender and lashed a rocket into the upper right corner. Senior power. 6-1 Bellevue. Final score. Well done team.  

We have another Kingco regular season game on Thursday away to Liberty, but the district playoff positions are already fixed regardless of what happens against the Patriots. On Monday, Bellevue hosts LW for the Kingco championship with the winner going directly to state (first games Nov 10th/11th). 7pm kick-off. If we win that game, we will likely be able to host both the state sweet 16 and quarterfinal games at Bellevue Stadium which is a HUGE advantage (the top four ranked teams in the state tournament get to host games in a pod format). The rest of the Kingco tournament looks like this: MI @ Juanita on Saturday 10/28, loser out, winner plays @ Liberty on Monday evening. The MI/Juanita vs. Liberty winner advances to play the loser of the Kingco championship game on Wednesday, Nov 1st. Loser out. Winner advances to play a pigtail game against Metro League #4 finisher for a final chance at a state birth. Confused yet?  Focus on this point: a win against the Kangs next Monday makes everything else irrelevant. Win and In. Let's do that. 

Finally, I'll end with the beginning: our seniors. There were tears and hugs all around. Our class of 2024 is special, not just for the historically great goal-scoring and win totals, but for how they treat each other and insist that BGS isn't just competitive, but built upon a non-negotiable foundation of fun and mutual respect. To Lillian, Alex, Amber, Gaby, Lily, Camille, Emilie and Lexi: thank you. I hope your memories of BGS are positive, full, and long lasting. And that the friendships forged on gamedays, training and team activities last even longer. As a team, we will pledge to give our best effort to extend this magical ride of a season as long as possible. If we win on Monday, we give the best possible gift to our seniors: another home game in the state tournament.   

Next stop: Liberty. 

Forecast: cold and dry. 

Bellevue 5-0 Mercer Island

13th min Mack
20th min Kasia (Mack)
46th Anna (Calla)
54th Morgan (Mack)
72nd Anna (Calla)

As miserable as the weather was last night in our last JV home game of the year, we have to be pretty thankful for the weather we have had this season. We have been lucky to only have a couple of rainy games and practices. For the most part we have been blessed with sunshine instead of rain.

But last night was not the case. A constant downpour made for some wet bodies and cold hands. It was difficult to get warm both on the field in the rain and under the shelter. But much to the girl’s credit, they didn’t let the poor conditions deter them from the task at hand: beating rival Mercer Island.

It took a bit of time for both teams to adjust to the conditions and connect passes on a slick field. Mack broke through in the 13th minute when she took a bouncing ball after a throw-in and lofted a high-arching cross from deep on the right flank. The MI goalkeeper, battling the wind and rain, could only get a hand on the floating ball as it bounced around and barely crossed the goal line. Just seven minutes later Kasia took a pass from Mack deep into that same corner and did pretty much the exact same thing. Her cross was a little more direct but it also eluded the outstretched keeper and bounced off the back post and into the goal.

We took our two-goal advantage into halftime and we huddled under the east end tree canopy for a quick talk out of the rain. We all decided we had plenty of time on the ball and we just needed to be a little more patient. The goals would arrive, we just needed to check to our ball handlers and connect. We tend to run away from our passers instead of making ourselves available to combine.

The second half slowed down a bit for us as we moved the ball well and found our teammates all over the field. The rain was relentless but we did manage to score three very nice goals. It’s amazing what can happen when we connect our passes!!

In the 45th minute a ball out of the back found Morgan at midfield who passed to  Kasia down the right flank and she was off. She sped past two defenders, headed directly for goal and unselfishly crossed to a wide open Calla. Unfortunately Calla rushed her shot and blasted it over the top. It is a popular move on this team but I only mention it because Calla quickly redeemed herself. On the ensuing goal kick, Kasia sent Calla into the corner with a direct head ball. Calla trapped it nicely off her chest and sent a hard, one-touch cross all the way to the back post where a streaking Anna was waiting to slip it past the goalie. A great effort all around.  

Eight minutes later Mack emerged with the ball at midfield after a prolonged tussle with an MI player and after a nice cut back, found Morgan headed toward goal. Morgan twisted her defender in knots, twice, and poked home her sixth goal of the season. Anna capped the scoring on the night with a thumping header off a Calla corner kick as the game was nearing conclusion. Kudos for the header goal!!!

On the night we held MI to just two shots on our goal (18 shots for us) and forced their keeper into eight saves. So in spite of the gloomy conditions our offense showed up in a big way. We’ll need that Thursday night as we travel to Liberty for our final JV game of the season. A win or a tie gives us the KingCo 3A crown so I hope everyone comes out to cheer us on.

As our season ends, the varsity season continues as they clinched their league title and will move on to the playoffs. What that means for our team is that a few players will be called up to join varsity in their playoff push. Please take into mind Peter and I have had conversations all season long about which players are deserving. But those selections are based mainly on the players he thinks he will need positionally while rewarding players for a great season.

***After the close of our season on Thursday, as I always do, I will be offering any player interested a chance for some feedback on their season. This is a chance for me to offer evaluation on their year and to give them things to work on in the offseason in preparation for next season. For those juniors that plan to tryout next year, it will be a frank talk about areas for improvement and development in order to make the varsity roster. I will offer a chance to talk either Monday before the varsity game (7pm). I will be at the field about 6 pm. Or we can chat at varsity training on Tuesday. Just let our captains know if and when you would like to talk and they’ll let me know.

See you Thursday. Go Wolverines!!

Bellevue 7-0 LW

10th min Alex (Lillian)
35th min OG (Raina)
52nd min Mia (Leah)
61st min Saleen (Emily)
67th min Alex (Mia)
69th min Leah (Amy & Mia)
70th min Saleen (Amy)

Sequels don't always live up to the originals. Jaws, Blues Brothers, The Sting, and Caddyshack were all fun original films (very subjective opinion, and yes, I'm dating myself), but does anyone remember "Jaws 2: The Revenge?" Or even worse films like Blues Brothers 2, The Sting 2, and Caddyshack 2...of course not, all were terrible and embarrassing cash grabs. What I wanted on Saturday night in our long-awaited home game against Kingco rival and #6-ranked LW was a sequel worthy of our 1-0 win in the away fixture two weeks ago. Our original was a gritty, effective, tight team win; but LW has been undefeated since that game stringing together great results against MI and Liberty earlier this week. An LW win would effectively secure the Kangs the #1 seed in the Kingco championships, so there was much to play for.   

I'm sure that LW was hoping to get a Jaws 2-quality Bellevue team in our return match; instead, they got a glorious blend of Godfather II, The Empire Strikes Back, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Our sequel was much much better than our original. We brought the "I'll be back," "I am your father," and "I know it was you Fredo." type of energy to our comprehensive 7-0 win on Saturday night (ask your parents...). The lead and supporting acting was superb with Oscar-worthy performances all over the field, the script was tight and well-rehearsed, the sound engineers were top-notch (thank you supporters, announcers, and especially the high school friends for the extra energy from the stands), and the cinematographer even surprised me by including an unexpected steady rain that gave the perfect NW mood as the setting. 

The game began with total commitment from both teams. The early pace was exactly what you'd expect from two good sides trying to win a league title, pressure and quick all over the field. Every loose ball was challenged and aerial duels were frequent as both teams searched for imbalances to exploit. And in the 10th minute, we found an opening. From an LW free kick at midfield, Maddy won a header (this is a frequent theme in our sequel, we were very good in the air), Alex pounced on the 2nd ball with a directional header of her own to Lillian at midfield, Lillian one-touched a pass back to Alex and our senior captain took a direct route straight to goal weaving through three LW defenders from center circle to goal before poking a shot past the keeper. 1-0 Bellevue. Magnificent. Bravo. Then in the 35th minute, we added another. Alex began the movement with an excellent entry pass to Raina who had made a very clever diagonal run towards goal from the right wing, one touch to settle and the next to blast a shot that seemed destined for the top corner, but the LW keeper made a nice diving save...but only as far as the trailing Kang defender who accidentally knocked the ball into the open net. Own goal. But kudos to Alex and Raina for the pass, great run, and shot, and to Amy who pressured the Kang defender with her aggressive supporting run and would've easily scored had her defender not done it for her. 2-0 Bellevue at halftime.

Our halftime discussion was focused, joyful, and eager. LW had come from behind to defeat Liberty earlier this week, so we respected their resolve and pledged to bring the same energy for the second half. And we exceeded our expectations. We added our third in the 52nd minute, Leah won the ball at midfield and cut upfield on the dribble before making the most sublime, wonderous, and breath-taking entry pass to Mia who had made a diagonal run (another common theme from the night, our wingers' movement was superb) behind the LW backline, beat the keeper to the ball, touched it around her with speed and grace, then calmly slotted the biscuit in the basket. 3-0 Bellevue. In the next ten minutes, we added four more. Yes, four. In the 61st, Saleen took a simple ball from Emily at midfield, turned smoothly, and danced past two LW defenders before bouncing a shot past the keeper from 20yds. 4-0 Bellevue. A few minutes later we added our best team goal of the night, as we rotated the ball across the field with one and two-touches, Raina overlapped from right back (devastating) and crossed to Mia on the left wing. Mia spun her defender and cut-back for Alex to smash it past the keeper from 6 yards. It was a goal of selfless running, quick passing, confident crossing, and a tremendous finish. Nothing the keeper could do. 5-0 Bellevue. Two minutes later, Mia again got around the left side cutting back to Amy (another theme...our crosses were very good and frequent) who forced the LW keeper into a deflected save that Leah finished from 3 yards. Both Amy and Leah made perfect supporting runs for Mia's cross and were rewarded with an assist and goal respectively. 6-0 Bellevue. And a minute after that, in the 70th, Saleen finished the goal party with another magnificent team goal, as Leah found Amy's feet at striker, one-touch pass to an overlapping Saleen, and our exuberant freshman floated into the box before Neymar-ing a low hard shot past the LW keeper. 7-0 Bellevue. Final Score. 

And Scene. Five out of five stars. Standing ovation.

Our program has enjoyed big wins before. But never in my tenure at Bellevue have we had such a comprehensive result against such a quality team. And make no mistake. LW is a very good team. That we'll likely see again. And as the old Australian adage goes, "beware the angry kangaroo." So we'll take our big LW win with equal parts confidence and humility, knowing that we'll likely have to face the angry kangaroo again. But overall, it was a special night. We should enjoy it. And yes, I made up that adage.  

The credits rolled and were shared by all, with taki taki proudly surrounded by our smiling team after the final whistle (ask your daughter). It was a massive team win, with excellent contributions from the entire squad.     

And the studio has already green-lighted a trilogy, with the final drama to likely take place a week from Monday (Godfather III? Return of the King? I hope so. But please, no Ewoks). However, before we secure the funding and buy the gown and tux for the premiere, we still need to take care of some very important business: senior night versus Mercer Island. With a win against the Islanders, our team will clinch the #1 seed in the Kingco league and will host the championship game on Monday, Oct 30th (tell your high school friends to clear their calendar). But more importantly, the motivation for our next match will be to honor our seniors. That will be enough. Tuesday will be the last regular season home game for an incredible group of players, so we won't allow ourselves a dip in form from Saturday to Tuesday. I expect our MI sequel to be award-season worthy because I can't imagine anyone in our team who wouldn't want to take the field against our traditional rivals with such a momentous double opportunity: honor our seniors and secure a birth in the Kingco championship game.

Thanks to all for your support on a soggy Saturday night. It was absolutely box-office. 

Bellevue 0-1 LW

36th min LW goal (corner kick)

“Set your goals high and don’t stop until you get there.” – Bo Jackson

Even though many of our girls probably don’t know who Bo Jackson is, I really like this quote. (BTW – he was one the greatest athletes ever and he played both NFL football and Major League Baseball).

Each season we have the same goals as the year before: win every game, win the league, play with joy and most importantly, have fun.  I have seen the girls play with lots of joy this season and I hope they are having fun. With the amount of dancing and laughter I’ve seen, I think we are. And although our first goal of winning every game was dashed by 4A powerhouse Skyline last month, our biggest goal, winning the league title, is still within our grasp.

Despite a hard-fought loss last night to our rival Lake Washington, if we take care of business and win our last two league games, the title is ours. Lake Washington has tied us in the standings but we have one more league game then they do so six more points gives us the league. So we still have lots of work to do.

Last night, even with a great effort, we just couldn’t put the final touch on the ball to find a goal. That last pass, that last touch or last shot was just out of reach, wide or over the top. We just needed one moment of calm and focus but unfortunately, it never came.

Once again the Kangaroos broke our hearts on a corner kick. With just four minutes until halftime a LW shot from distanced skipped off the slick turf and caught Sophia by surprise and bounced off her leg and out of bounds for a corner kick. The only LW corner of the night. Ugh. And just like in our last meeting, a great delivery from the corner eluded our heads and found a Kangroo player instead for the game winner.

At halftime we talked about stepping up our work rate and continuing to fight in this brawl of a game. We knew we had the skill to create chances, we just needed to finish. Even though we outshot LW 18-9 and had more corner kicks (6-1), the saving goal just never came.

So our season comes down to our last two games: Tuesday (MI) and Thursday (Liberty). We handled both teams in our first meeting but as we’ve seen this year, what happened the first time around just doesn’t matter. Please come out on Tuesday to root us on and stay and celebrate our varsity seniors on Senior Night. It should be fun.

Bellevue 3-0 Hazen

15th min Nora (Raina)
29th min Alex (unassisted)
79th min Lily (Maddy) corner

Three points. Our hard-fought win against #3 Shorewood in our 2nd game of the season: three points. Our ferociously contested battle at LW a few weeks ago: three points. Our 9-0 finishing exhibition against both Mt. View and Interlake: both only three points. Our 3-0 win against Hazen at Renton Memorial Stadium on a rain-soaked October night: three points. It wasn't pretty. It was often frustrating. It was very physical. But the points count the same. Teams with championship ambitions are rarely able to maintain flowing beautiful soccer throughout an entire season. Some games are going to be a struggle. A bit rough around the edges. But most importantly, we got. the job. done. So we take the result humbly, knowing that we had to grind it out for long stretches, and to our girls' credit, they left Renton with what we came there to get: three points. 

The game might have been choppy, but the goals were quality. In the 15th minute, Raina received a switch pass from left to right, controlled the pass and squared to Nora from the wing, and Nora didn't hesitate, striking the ball first-time with a delicious curling shot that found the net from 18yards. 1-0 Bellevue (on our first shot on goal). Then in the 29th minute, Alex pressed high up the field, won the ball from an errant backpass, and raced to goal unopposed before firing a shot low and hard at goal...that missed? The ball traveled well beyond the goal to the fence behind, seemingly shot wide from our sideline viewpoint. The coaching staff looked at each other in disbelief wondering if Alex had missed her chance...and it took a meeting of the referees to confirm that Alex's shot had been so powerful it had broken the net...Of course, she scored. The net failed to stop her powerful finish. 2-0 Bellevue. Our final goal came in the last minute of the game, as Maddy crossed from a corner for Lily to volley home from close range. 3-0 final score. The stat line reveals a choppy midfield battle: 12/3 shots corners versus 4/0 for Hazen. It was our lowest shot production of the season, but well-done team defense, again, if we don't allow many shots, and secure a shutout, it's difficult to lose games.  

But the recap hardly captures the tense, physical, gritty, sloppy barroom-brawl of a game that our girls had to figure out. Late tackles, body-checks, high elbows, contested aerial duels, ankle-love-taps...it was a lot. But here's the twist: well done Hazen. I give full credit and respect to the players and coaching staff of Hazen for taking it to the #1 ranked team in the state in the most effective way they could: gritty determined competition. Hazen is now 0-8 in the Kingco standings. They could've simply gone through the motions in a game in which we were overwhelming favorites. But you never would've known it from the amount of fight in their team tonight. They competed from the opening whistle to the last. And yes, some tackles and off-the-ball antics were very frustrating, and in the grey-area of the rules ("how grey? charcoal"), but so what? That's the game, and we are likely to face other teams that will employ similar tactics. From Hazen's perspective, how do you slow down a team with a skill and pace superiority? You make the game a choppy physical slog. If the referee is going to allow it, then we have to figure it out and carry on. Complaining won't earn us anything. So full credit to Hazen players and coaching staff. They made a tactical choice, it worked, and they had us on the ropes all night and we didn't handle it well. They played the game by their rules, with their tempo, and we never really adjusted. In the end, the scoreline looks lopsided, but we all know that the game was anything but. If we want to achieve great things this season, we will be in more games that are played in the proverbial mud. It's a tactic. Lots of teams use it. And we need to know how to overcome it. 

Three points is how you handle it. Good teams find a way to get the result and then simply move on. No hard feelings. Break the bottom of the net. Shake hands after the game. Three points.  

And now we enter the final phase of our regular season. We have 3 games left against the top teams in our league. First and foremost, we play Kingco 2nd place and #6 ranked LW on Saturday at Bellevue Stadium at 7:30. If we win, we will have pole position to earn the right to host the Kingco League Championship game on October 30th. The winner of that game will go directly to state. We not only want to qualify for that game (#1 & #2 seeds in Kingco), but we want to host it. But the Kangs are equally eager, and will control their destiny in the race for the league title if they prevail. Let's not let that happen. 

So there's still lots to play for. Despite our excellent record so far and top ranking, the job is far from done. It will require a composed and determined performance on Saturday. 

Bring on the Kangs. Release the Wolverines.

Bellevue 3-1 Hazen

4th min Morgan  (Mack)
26th min Anna (Kasia)
38th min OG (Kasia)
75th min Hazen goal

If you were to ask me immediately after Tuesday night’s win against Hazen how I felt about the game, you wouldn’t have liked my answer. I thought we played down to the level of our opponent, again, and didn’t look like the team I know were are capable. We easily handled Hazen the first time around 6-0 so we knew we had a slight talent advantage. But it was a sloppy affair and we struggled all night linking up our passes and truly looking dangerous in all areas of the field. Yes, it was a terrible evening weather-wise and the field was slow yet slick. (Is that possible?). Balls bounced off our feet and it was a rare occasion when one touch passes were involved.

The two things you can truly control in soccer are effort and attitude. Our attitude was ok but our energy and effort were lacking. After Friday night’s shot-fest, we collectively decided we needed to work on our finishing with focus and commitment to keeping our heads down and putting the ball on frame. Monday’s practice was all about shooting: one-time shots, crosses, beating defenders. I thought, hoped, prayed our scoring woes were hopefully behind us.

As I’ve been accustomed to say: Not so much.

So while I was a little disappointed in our overall play, I have to repurpose my anger and admit the girls improved in one crucial area. Shots on goal.

Friday night we saw 55 shots with 28 keeper saves and 5 goals. Last night we had 19 shots, 12 keeper saves and 3 goals. I’m a communications major so I don’t do math but somewhere in there is improvement. Our ratio of shots to those shots on goal were better. So that will be my take-away from this game. But if we are going to get past our next three rivalry game (LW, MI and Liberty), we will definitely have to be better.

Last night Mack got us started in just the fourth minute with a banger of a shot right at the goalkeeper (not our last) that she was only able to bat down. Morgan was the beneficiary and blasted the rebound home. I thought that would open the flood gates but that was just the beginning of our struggles. Shot after shot was directly into the hands of the Hazen keeper, wide or over the crossbar. Ugh. We were creating chances (good) but couldn’t quite finish (bad). Anna tacked on one midway through the half after a prolonged battle in front of the goal which saw 4 or 5 failed shots and clearances. With frustration mounting and the first half nearing it’s conclusion, Kasia sent in a hard cross from the flank which bounced around between both teams and somehow ended up in the net. Faith Cody our scorekeeper, after consulting with several players, ruled it an own goal but we gave the assist to Kasia.

So halftime saw us up 3-0. We knew, thought, the goals would come if we just got closer to playing Bellevue soccer. Again, the slick field made things difficult in the second half and we had plenty of chances (11 corner kicks). But nothing would drop. Unfortunately we gave up a sloppy goal toward the end of the game to lose the shutout. Sophia got her hand on a low, skipping shot but a Hazen forward sped past a few stagnant defenders and put home the rebound. 3-1 Bellevue.

I know I should be happy with the 3 points, but I feel these are the types of games we should be able to put our stamp on, work on our overall possession game and feel good about the result. So yes, I’m proud of the girls for getting the win, I just think our best game is still out there. It’s my job to seek perfection but that is tough. It’s high school soccer after all.  Let’s hope perfection happens Saturday night at home against LW. They have some payback coming. Hope to see you out there. Bring a friend, the rowdier, the better.

Bellevue 9-0 Interlake

10th min Camille (Raina)
19th min Nora (unassisted)
27th min Alex (Leah)
35th min Leah (Amber)
36th min Mia (Gaby)
37th min Alex (Leah)
51st min Saleen (Raina)
65th min Lily (Gaby)
69th min Gaby (Lexi)

When we lived in the UK, one of my favorite British TV shows was Q.I. ("Quite Interesting"), a panel show that presents quirky interesting facts to a bunch of comedians who riff and react. Yeah, it's an acquired taste. One of the facts I recall was about unusual words in English that are their own antonyms (also called contronyms): a word that can be used for one meaning, and also the opposite meaning. For instance, the word "fast" can refer to the physical speed of our attacking players (Alex is fast), but can also mean stopping something from moving (to hold fast). Oddly, I thought of this during our game against Interlake as I asked the team to play quickly but with patience, or to simplify our passing so that we could execute more complicated combinations, and, I actually asked them to play hard but not go into any risky tackles (the very definition of a contradictory task). I often tell the team that I want greedy forwards willing to shoot on sight of goal, but then I plead for more disguised and unselfish passing in our attack when we force low-probability chances from long-range. 

I know, I know. It's a lot of cognitive dissonance.    

But coaches trade in mixed messages. Soccer, like life, can be complicated, and sometimes only opposites can capture what we are trying to achieve.  

On a rare Friday night game, and even rarer 6:30 kick-off, our girls got the message. When we play quickly (with patience), and simplify our passing (with complex off-the ball running), and are greedily generous in front of goal, our offensive firepower is the best I've had at Bellevue during my entire tenure. We are pretty good when we play as 11 individuals, but we are unstoppable when we play as a team. And on Friday, we were an unstoppable team. It was a 9-0 final score. But the score to me was irrelevant (we did our best to downshift in the 2nd half without disrespecting our opponents), it was the quality of our goals and build-up play that was so encouraging and beautiful. It started in the 10th minute with a triangle of passes between Amy, Nora and then back to Raina, who crossed intelligently on a diagonal to Camille at the back post to finish. 1-0 Bellevue. In the 19th minute, Raina provided a simple but effective square ball to Nora, who turned her defender and smashed a 25-yard shot to the far corner of the net. 2-0 Bellevue. Glorious goal. In the 27th min, Leah took an entry pass from Amber, headed it past the last defender, and raced towards goal before firing a shot that the keeper could only parry directly to Alex who tapped in from 6yards. 3-0 Bellevue. 

And we were flying. So much so that the next sequence of three goals was scored in less than a minute of actual playing time. In the 35th minute the barrage began. Leah took another great entry pass from Amber and fired a shot from 30 yards that beat the keeper for power and height. 4-0 Bellevue, And then, directly from the Interlake long kick-off, Gaby took the ball out of the air with a first-time pass to Mia who was 65 yards away from the Saints goal, deep in our half. Ten seconds later the ball was in the back of the net as Mia ran straight past 4 shocked Interlake defenders to score our fifth. 5-0 Bellevue. And less than 30 seconds after that, after we won the ball from another Interlake kick-off, we possessed the ball across our defense and midfield before Leah hit a wonderful diagonal entry pass (diagonal pass = straight run, or diagonal run = straight pass) and Alex ran past the Saints backline before scoring. Devastating. 6-0 when less than a minute earlier it had been 3-0. Merciful halftime. 

For the balance of the game we rotated roles, with defenders in attack (Amber at left wing, E Duke at striker!), and attacking players in defense (Lillan at CB!!) and worked on possession. The second half saw Saleen score in the 51st minute from Raina (3rd assist of the night!!!), Lily added another in the 65th minute from a nifty give-and-go with Gaby, before Lexi crossed from the right wing to Gaby on the left, and our senior center-back finished off the scoring with a very tidy goal. 9-0 final. Whew. Other than the overall quality of our passing and finishing, I was especially impressed with how we used Emilie at goalkeeper to relieve pressure and maintain possession with good back-passing, and I couldn't have been happier for goalkeeper Lexi to add an assist to her name on the scoresheet when she played at right wing. 

It was a comprehensive performance against a team that earned a point against Mercer Island just last week. But Interlake caught us on one of our best overall performances of the season; and it became more difficult for the Saints after one of their players suffered an injury during warm-ups. But again, we were excellent in all phases. Eight total goal-scorers and 11 players were on the scoresheet. When we play as a team, we are unstoppable. Opponents might neutralize one player, but if we are unselfish and making unselfish runs for the team, the other ten will make you pay dearly for it.   

Our next Kingco game is on Tuesday away at Hazen. 7:30 kick-off at Renton Memorial Stadium. 

I expect our offense to be fast, and our defense to hold fast.

Bellevue 5-0 Interlake

32th min Mack (Elina)
38th min Mack
49th min Mack
56th min Elina (Anna)
62nd Anna (Elina)

There is one statistic from our Friday night’s nonconference matchup with the Interlake Saints that sums up the entire game.

55

That number represents how many shots our JV girls had toward goal. I use the term ‘toward’ goal because many of our shots lacked a bit of precision to say the least. It was a difficult night to find the net. And that is putting it lightly.

With that said, it was a comfortable win over the Saints. Going into the game we talked about using this contest to hone our passing skills and work on our possession. We knew the goals would come so we just wanted to play well, respect our opponents and have some fun.

As the first half wore on and the shots piled up it became somewhat comical how many opportunities we created yet the goals were hard to find. We found new ways to miss the target. But full credit has to go to the Interlake keeper who, as they say in soccer, stood on her head. She wiped away shot after shot after shot. Right when we thought we had a break through, there she was to stonewall us. For the game she ended up with 28, saves. Yes, that number is correct. 28. In all my years in this game, I have never seen something like that. Kudos.

We finally broke through in the 32nd minute as Mack decided she’d had enough. She took a niffy pass from our JVC guest player Elina and smashed home our first goal to break the seal. She added another one shortly after by dribbling through several defenders and blasting a 20-yard shot over the keeper.

At halftime we talked/laugh about our lack of scoring and each girl offered their solutions. It was all the same advice: CONCENTRATE.

Did we listen? Not so much. The second half started out much the same with missed opportunity after missed opportunity. As the game started to near it’s conclusion, Mack got her hat trick with more individual brilliance. Elina and Anna tacked on two more in the closing moments of the game to send us home with happy faces yet still scratching our heads about what we had just witnessed.

High praise to our four JVC players who all contributed in the game. We appreciate their efforts to help us out on a night we were shorthanded. And also applause to Mack for a brilliant hat trick.

We travel to Hazen on Tuesday and then have a rematch with Lake Washington next Saturday. Payback. Have a great weekend everyone.

Bellevue 4-1 Juanita

19th min Saleen (Amy)
51st min Lillian (Lily)
56th min Juanita FK goal
59th min Leah (Lillian & Raina)
80th min Mia (Amy)

"If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain." Dolly Parton

Well, we did the rain bit. 

in a game that unfortunately didn't feature any rainbows, our girls earned a soggy, slick, and soaked 4-1 victory against the Juanita Ravens. My messaging for this game began Monday during video-review of the Juanita team: do. not. take. Juanita. lightly. They are organized, tactically clever, have speed in key areas, and can hurt teams that don't remain focused. On gamenight, our warm-ups were good, the girls seemed energetic, and I was confident and optimistic that we were prepared for a solid performance. And then it started to rain. Hard. And the subsequent quality on the field was as flat as the Puget Sound on a windless day. Flat and quiet. Just raindrops and occasional whistles. Yes, the playing conditions weren't ideal. Controlling the ball on rainsoaked turf is a challenge, and it is much easier in theoretical terms standing on the sidelines in a rainrproof parka barking instructions (guilty). But it's October in the northwest, and we can't expect it to get much drier as our season progresses. So we'll learn to put on our galoshes and find a way. And on Tuesday evening against a determined Juanita team, we found a way. We got the opening goal in the 19th minute from a Juanita goal kick that was hit long, heavily deflected by a Juanita player backward towards her own goal where Amy flicked it forward and Saleen picked up the loose ball, spun, and nonchalantly deposited the ball into the far corner as if we were collecting balls in the net to prepare for the next shooting drill. Not exactly flowing build-up play, but ruthlessly effective, opportunistic, and a terrific finish by our freshman midfielder. 1-0 Bellevue. 

But the flatness continued. Flatter than Stanley being mailed to grandma by eager 2nd graders...Flatter than the tires of a bicycle ridden inside the glass factory after an earthquake...flatter than a souffle taken from the oven 5 minutes too early. It wasn't that we were playing particularly poorly given the conditions, or being outplayed by our hosts, it was that we were playing below our collective potential and abilities. Which tends to frustrate coaches .So we had our halftime chat, and gauntlets were thrown down.  

And to our team's credit, despite the weather getting worse and worse, we got better and better. Still not at our harmonizing best, but considering the waterlogged conditions, we began to sing from the same song sheet again. And in the 51st minute, we got the insurance goal that we sought, as Lily stepped forward to intercept a Juanita entry pass with a strong challenge to send the ball straight back through the Juanita defense, where the Raven CB hesitated a moment too long and Lillian pounced, finishing smartly with just the keeper to beat. 2-0 Bellevue. But 5 minutes later, Juanita earned a free kick 25 yards from our goal and the subsequent shot skipped off of the wet turf to nestle inside the far post. 2-1 Juanita, and suddenly the flat soggy quiet of the game was replaced by hopeful cheers of encouragement from the home supporters. Fortunately, before the pressure began to build on our team, Leah restored order in the 59th minute with an elegant goal after a great throw-in by Raina that was deftly flicked goalwards by Lillian to Leah's thankful feet in front of goal. Classy finish and 3-1 Bellevue. 

Then the rain really started coming down. Torrents. I expected to see families of ducks swimming in the center circle, or salmon fighting their way upstream from one penalty box to the other. But at this point in the contest, the spaces were bigger and the chances for us began to pile up. Posts and crossbars were hit. 1v1s with the Raven keeper were pushed narrowly wide, and corner kicks miraculously went untouched from near post to far post needing just a kneecap of contact anywhere along the journey. Then with virtually the last kick of the game, Amy relayed a clever entry pass to Mia who took a touch to settle before blasting the ball off the underside of the crossbar for our final tally of the night. 4-1 Bellevue. Final whistle almost immediately afterwards.  

The scoreline is both flattering and frustrating. Flattering in that it never seemed like a game worthy of a 3-goal final margin. Juanita battled consistently throughout and we struggled to find our rhythm. But also a bit frustrating in that we launched 26 shots towards the Raven goal to get our four...which isn't an aspirational finishing ratio. Yes, we are creating a lot of shots on goal, but the overall quality of our shots isn't great. Our decision making around goal could be better. I'd prefer more patience and poise, with demanding runs inside the box rewarded with a final killer pass rather than some of the speculative or low-percentage attempts we are currently settling for..but...that's nitpicking.  

It reminds me of the quote from the tough and thoughtful ex-Man City captain and center-back Vincent Kompany, current manager of Burney in the Premier League, about his attitude towards his craft, "Always happy, never satisfied."  

I'll take that advice. I'm happy with the result. (but we can play better than that). 

We'll search for more rainbows on Friday night as we welcome Interlake to Bellevue Stadium for a non-league game (why is Interlake not in Kingco this season? long story, but the short versions is that they chose to play an independent schedule this year and aren't included in Kingco league standings). 

A special thank you to the parents and supporters who braved the weather at Juanita, and especially to the volunteer crew who helped set up our bench shelter before the JV game, and tear down after the varsity. Little details (like staying warm and dry on the bench), make a big difference. Thank you.

Also a tip of the cap to the Juanita program overall. They always are one of the best hosts in Kingco, treating opponents with respect from arrival to departure. This can be seen in small considerations like providing the away team with a tent shelter and water, and their announcer working hard to pronounce all of our players names correctly. And I loved their pink socks and face-paint ribbons for breast-cancer awareness month reminding us all that there are more important things in the world than high school sports. They are a class program and we wish them well for the rest of the season.

Bellevue 1-0 LW

65th min Alex (Leah)

Former England and current Crystal Palace Manager Roy Hodgson once said, "Football isn't a beauty contest, it's about being good enough." On Thursday evening against Kingco rival Lake Washington, we were good enough.

As a program, we absolutely are committed to playing a beautiful, flowing, and joyful style of soccer, but we are also pragmatists. And over the course of an entire season, there will be variables that we can't control (weather, quality of the pitch, our opponents relative quality or style, etc.) that will necessitate a more practical tactical adjustment to get a result. For me, style should be directionally correct, not dogma. And so it was last night against LW, there were times during the game when beauty wasn't going to win the day, but gritty, tough and organized teamwork were going to be cornerstone upon which our more creative play would be built.  

We might not play a team that plays a more direct style than LW all season. And this direct style requires our backline to be very connected, good in the air, and focused on denying entry passes, while our midfielders need to be very aware of off-the-ball runs and deflections from the initial long-ball. And collectively, we were excellent at winning our aerial duels, tackles and denying easy switches. And once we got that part of our game right, we were able to counter-attack through our midfield and around the wide areas. 

After a teeter-totter first half, the winning margin came in the 68th minute, as Leah worked hard to win the ball in midfield and sent a curling pass down the left sideline towards Alex at striker. The LW defender had a good angle to win the ball, but Alex closed the gap, timed her tackle perfectly, won the ball and raced towards goal unopposed. The finish was outstanding, smashing the ball into the upper right corner of the net and leaving the LW keeper no chance. 1-0 Bellevue. Final score.  

Overall, the game was as close to playoff intensity as we are likely to have during our regular season. We even had the same referee who was assigned the 3A final last season which just added to the playoff-like atmosphere. Entering the game, Bellevue was ranked #1 in RPI, and LW #4. And although RPI isn't really a trustworthy ranking of overall quality, in this instance, it did a good job of summarizing the situation: two of the very best 3A teams battling for positioning as we enter the pointy end of our season.

Although the game statistics would indicate that we earned our win by creating more opportunities (17/2 shots/corners vs. 4/1 for LW), the game never felt like a mismatch or lopsided in any way (many of our shots were speculative efforts from 30+ yards away). Every second required total focus and the game could've tipped in either direction for most of the night. But we did create more chances. And we were more dangerous going forward, especially when we were patient in attack, linking passes and running off-the-ball in support of our teammates. But LW is ever-dangerous, poised to pounce on mistakes, deflections, or opportunistic rebounds. They are never to be underestimated.   

Finally, as I told the girls during post-game (and to fully blender mix my metaphors), last night was likely the first act in a three act play. We have been introduced to all of the main characters and established setting and plotlines. We know that the inherent drama at the heart of the play will need to be resolved by the final curtain, but the outcome is still a beautiful mystery. Act 2 will be in just over two weeks time (and I expect new main characters to make surprise appearances), ane we should expect a few plot twists, but I'm hopeful our Wolverine heroines continue the story arc to happy sappy conclusion, with a standing ovation from a supportive crowd at the end. 

Until then, we won't take a bow yet, the outcome after Act 1 doesn't determine whether the play is successful. There's more to be done, and the director has plenty of notes.  

Enjoy Homecoming weekend. No training today. Rest and recover. See you all on Monday as we prepare for another road trip, this time to Juanita as we enter the back-half of our Kingco season.

Excellence is always good enough.