Varsity - BHS vs Issaquah 10-9-25

Bellevue 3-1 Issaquah

43rd min 1-0  Mack (Saleen & Nora)
45min min 1-1 Issy goal
51st min 2-1 Saleen (Raina)
73rd min 3-1 Ava (unassisted wondergoal)

"Ambition is all well and good, but behind it comes suffering," 3x FIFA Ballon D'or and World-Player of the Year, Spain and Barcelona player Aitana Bonmati
Most everyone would prefer winning at things if given a choice, especially in a shared experience like a team sport when joy gets a multiplier from seeing your friends happy too. At the final whistle, I got to see that joyful multiplier as our team played their best game of the season to earn all three points against the previously undefeated and #1 ranked Issaquah Eagles.
The game had great energy from the beginning, as a very loud group of teenage boys spent much of the game heckling our players from the top of the home stands. When I was a player, I used to love opposition hecklers, and I still do. As long as it doesn't get crass, lewd, or inappropriate (admittedly a difficult thing to define), heckling is a great American sports tradition, and clever heckling can be funny, energizing, and is almost like performance art (a mix of passionate, ironic, partisan and witty). If you're a mentally tough player, opposition heckling is pure rocket fuel for competitive motivation. And our Bellevue team is very mentally tough. So we should probably thank the Issy boys for the boost, because that was one of our best games of the season. Vroom Vroom. Blast-off. Bring it on.  
The first half was very cagey as both teams feature balanced organization and sound defensive principles; however, both teams are also lightning quick in attack with plenty of talent that can conjure a goal from nothing. Competitive stalemate for 40 minutes and we entered halftime at 0-0. We had 4 shots, Issy had 3. That sounds boring, but it wasn't. Both teams crackled with potential energy, just looking for the right catalyst to explode into action. And just three minutes into the second half: boom boom. Nora intercepted an attempted entry pass into midfield from an Issaquah goal kick, cut inside to beat one defender, then slipped the ball to Saleen, who, man-marked the entire game by her Issaquah shadow (#5), one-touched a perfect pass back to Nora, who gave the ball back to Saleen running into the box on the right side. Saleen had been drawing a crowd all night, and the best tactic for dealing with a shadow is one-touch passing and quick movement into space. Which is why, when three defenders collapsed on Saleen as she received the ball from Nora, I was so impressed by her decision to slide a square ball through the forest of onrushing Eagles to a wide-open Mack and our junior captain finished from six yards to open the scoring 1-0 Bellevue. Superb team goal.

Unfortunately the lead didn't last long. Just two minutes later we were tied at 1-1. Issy is very good at cross-field diagonal switches, and we got caught slightly out of position as their speedy left fullback was set free by an excellent driven pass, and she in turn centered for Issy's busy striker who cushioned a lovely pass back to a trailing midfielder to smash home. It was a good goal from a good team. Deadlocked again at 1-1.  Then in the 65th minute, we scored a "worldie" team goal that started with tenacious D, as Talia, Raina and Nora swarmed a Issaquah player at midfield on the sideline (the perfect place for a double or triple team since the sideline acts like another defender) harassing her into a give-away after Nora stretched her entire body to get a toe poke on the ball towards Ava. Ava also stretched to drop the ball to Kendall, one-touch pass back to Nora, drop to Talia, simple pass up the line to Raina's feet, one-touch pass to Saleen...(we look so good when we are moving the ball quickly with one or two touches...)...who was able to lose her shadow with a swivel turn, create a half-a-yard of space between two charging center-backs and launch a master blaster from 25 yards into the upper left corner past a helpless goalkeeper. The noonday sun casts no shadow, and Saleen's finish was brilliant. Magnificent goal.  2-1 Bellevue.

Then with ten minutes left and clinging to a narrow lead, we made a subtle tactical change, shifting players into a tight 5-4-1 defensive formation...daring Issaquah to break down a block of 9 while leaving Raina up top for speedy counter-attacks. The intent was to soak up Issaquah pressure and release Raina into the big spaces as Issaquah inevitably pushed more players up into their attack. What I didn't expect was a wondergoal from our holding midfielders. Ava picked up the ball fifteen yards into our defensive half from an Issaquah header, and just ran straight at the Issaquah midfield. Then straight at the Issaquah defense. Then straight at the Issaquah goalkeeper. And suddenly the upper right corner of the goal was a bulging lightning bolt of joy as Ava wheeled away in celebration with a pack of pink-socked teammates chasing our freshmen for a group hug of victory. Extraordinary goal. 3-1 Bellevue. Final Score.

Final statistics were what I expected, 8/7 shots, 1/5 corners (Bellevue/Issy) with possession slightly in favor of the Eagles. A finely balanced, competitive tilt between two good teams that turned on one or two key moments of quality.  

The post-game celebration felt great, but what I was so proud of was the way we earned that celebration. It was a team effort, made even more significant because we've entered the part of the season when hurt is part of the process. Sore muscles. Bumps and bruises. Swollen ankles. twinges and tweaks. Our sport is competitive. And physical. Collisions happen. And so some hurt is inevitable. Mack scored our opening goal, but just 12 hours earlier Mack was getting treatment and unsure about selection. Nora's legs are more KT tape than skin, but her effort, determination, and competitive desire is relentless. Saleen's shadow did her best to kick lumps out of our #12 (not dirty, but certainly very aggressive), and despite being dumped to the turf over and over, Saleen got back up every time and pressed twice as hard. Raina took a several hard challenges that left her briefly hobbled...and got back up and carried on. Kasia is always willing to scrap (fairly), and never backs down. Ava initiated somewhere between five and five thousand tackles in midfield, giving as good as she got, always looking forward to the next opportunity to tussle. Paris routinely found herself matched against a center back twice her size who wasn't shy about hip-checking, but Paris endured every hip, clip, and blip and kept going. Katelyn, Maggie, Kendall, Talia, and Aanya were stalwart, repelling attacks in the second half as Issy pressed for an equalizer, never once giving-up even though legs were weary and sore. Everyone did their job, and surely everyone likely is feeling a bit of soreness and hurt. It's part of our game. And our girls are revealing their toughness with every new challenge.  

All of this is why I love Bonmati's quote so much that opened this recap. She's the best player in the world, has won everything there is to win in women's professional soccer, and she highlights the toughness and suffering that is the investment on the joyful returns at the end of big games. There is no easy way. Just toughness, perseverance, and almost always enduring a bit of hurt. But the joyful payoff is worth it. Hard-earned achievement.  

Am I advocating for playing injured? Absolutely not. Injuries need to be respected and cared for (especially head injuries)...but hurt, hurt can be overcome. The discernment between the two is an important skill that should be supported by medical professionals and the experience of knowing your own body's limitations and signals. We play through the hurt, but rehab, rest, and recover from our injuries.  

There is now only two weeks left in our regular season. Four games. Next week we play two teams now tied for first place in our league (thanks to our Issy victory): Bothell and Woodinville. Hopefully this weekend we get three full days of rest and recovery with lots of fluids, stretching, and sleep. Because next week we go again. Keeping calm, and carrying on.

With the win vs Issy, and Inglemoor's loss, we have now clinched one of the top two seeds in the 3A Kingco tournament that begins the week of Oct27th. Our first game will be at home on Thursday, Oct 30th. Against who? Well our results over the next two weeks will determine that detail. 

Thank you for the tremendous road support we got last night from the away stands.