Jackson mauls Grizzlies in girls soccer

Published 11:35 pm Tuesday, September 15, 2009

SNOHOMISH — Technically this one didn’t count. But it gave Jackson’s Wesco South foes something to think about.

Showing off endless offensive firepower with attacks from near and far, the Jackson High School girls soccer team blasted the Glacier Peak Grizzlies 6-1 on Tuesday.

The non-division, so-called preseason game at Glacier Peak High was expected to be competitive. Jackson (3-0), the defending Western Conference South Division champion, was rated No. 1 by South coaches in The Herald’s preseason poll. Glacier Peak, a second-year program, was picked to finish fourth.

But Jackson, which has all but one player back from its 2008 team that placed fourth in Class 4A, showed it continues to be a force. The Timberwolves scored the first three goals and constantly pressured 3A Glacier Peak (2-1).

“We can go through the ceiling this year,” Jackson coach Mike Bartley told his team after the game, “but we have to keep going.”

The Timberwolves were relentless, tallying three goals in each half and generating several near-misses. Senior midfielder/co-captain Megan Bolmes (two goals, two assists) and junior midfielder Denae Fitz (three assists, one goal) ignited Jackson, which has outscored opponents 20-1 this season.

Bolmes, who verbally committed to play soccer for Eastern Washington University, assisted on Jackson’s first two goals and scored the next two, giving the T-wolves a 4-1 lead in the 11th minute of the second half.

Jackson accomplished what it set out to do against a talented Glacier Peak team, Bolmes said.

“We definitely wanted to make a statement. We know that they’re ranked No. 9 (in 3A by the Seattle Times) and we wanted to come out hard and prove that we are the team to beat” in the South, said Bolmes.

Using an aggressive style, Jackson jumped all over the Grizzlies. Fitz, co-captain Brianna Ellis and Bolmes scored goals in the first 24 minutes. Intense practices leading up to the game prepared Jackson — which beat Mariner 7-0 and Lynnwood 7-0 last week — for its impressive performance.

“We wanted to make sure we were ready,” coach Bartley said, “and we knew this would be a huge test.”

The dominant outing “shows some of the potential we have and what we can do,” he added.

Lori DeLand and Ellen Favale also scored goals for Jackson, which had five different goal scorers. Cara Wegner had an assist. Goalkeepers Kayla Beer and KC Wilson each played one half.

Games that count in the Wesco South standings don’t begin until later in the season. Even though it was essentially another warmup, Jackson went right at Glacier Peak.

“They play a real attacking style of soccer. They’ve got a great midfielder in Bolmes,” Glacier Peak coach Melinda Torre said.

Meaghan Slighter scored Glacier Peak’s only goal on a long shot about 10 seconds before halftime. Nicole Giovine was the Grizzlies’ goalkeeper. She made seven saves in the second half, including two sensational one-on-one stops.

Glacier Peak knew Jackson was a great team, but the Grizzlies did not do the little things — like stringing together a chain of smart passes — they needed to do, Torre said.

“It’s extra motivation for the second time we play them, when it counts,” Torre said. “It’s also good to have one of these (losses) early in your season to have a little extra motivation for your training.”

Jackson hosts Glacier Peak in a Wesco South-counting rematch on Oct. 15 in Everett.

Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.