Bellevue vs Lake WA - 10.6.26
bellevue 0 - 1 Lake WA
92nd min 0-1 FK in extra minute of 2OT period
That hurts. Football can be cruel sometimes. In the last kick of the game, (and not just because of the "golden goal" rule, it was literally the last opportunity before the final whistle was to be blown), LW launched a free kick into our box from midfield, won the flick header at the top of the box, and an LW attacker was quickest to pounce on the loose ball, guiding it in at the far post from 3 yards. Sigh. Cue the Kang golden goal celebration. Any loss stings, but conceding a golden goal at the last second is especially painful. The optimists' handbook says that I should be thankful that this result didn't happen during a single elimination tournament game. Sure. Fine.
Our evening in Kirkland felt like a state tournament game. Maybe not with the same electric festival atmosphere that we had on Friday at Homecoming, but the overall quality and tempo approximated what we'll face in a few weeks time when we play tournament soccer. It was a good test. But in the end, it was a test where, despite studying the material, and knowing the mathematical principles, we made too many simple arithmetic errors. We got the formulas right, we just forgot to carry the one, and our final answer was incorrect; and unfortunately in soccer, we don't get partial credit for showing our work. And our work was fine. Fine. Perhaps not our most clean or glittering performance, but solid enough that a red scrawled "F" at the top of our paper feels harsh and unjust
But let's not take away anything from LW. They played a very good game. Their midfielders gave us problems all night on both sides of the ball. And although I was never really nervous that they would score (until they did), they created at least as many chances as we did throughout the contest. And they play a flowing and fast counter-attacking brand of soccer that is similar to what we try to do, with an emphasis on organized team defense and pressing in packs. They aren't easy to break down, so chances were few. As we enter the playoff phase of our season, that's what competitive games are like: very tight. Just a few chances at either end, and oftentimes the winner is the team that takes theirs. LW did. We did not.
Now we must pick ourselves up and prepare to go again against a good Eastlake team in less than 48 hours. The Eastlake team is young, but eager. Last year they started over seven freshmen on their varsity team, and those freshmen are now sophomores with 18 months of experience. They are building something for the long-term, and if we don't rebound quickly from our LW disappointment, the Wolves will be more than happy to add to our collection of hard lessons.
See you on Thursday.
Peter
