Varsity - Bellevue vs Eastside Catholic 9-12-24

BHS 0 - 0 EC
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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.