Varsity - Bellevue vs Seattle Prep 9-17-24

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.