Varsity - Bellevue vs Mercer Island 10-24-2023

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.