Prep girls soccer: Arlington 1, Bellevue 0
Published 9:42 pm Tuesday, November 10, 2015
BELLEVUE — The Arlington girls soccer team gained a measure of revenge over Bellevue on Tuesday night, defeating the Wolverines 1-0 in a first-round match in the 3A state tournament a year after Bellevue ousted the Eagles in the quarterfinals.
After a cagey first half that featured a few highlight-reel saves by Arlington goalkeeper Kat Sanchez that kept things scoreless, the Eagles sprang to life after a Bellevue miscue in the second half.
Olivia Larson intercepted a clearing pass in the Bellevue third, beat three Wolverine defenders up the right side and slotted a perfect cross to a waiting McKenzie Buell.
The junior maneuvered around Bellevue keeper Brittley Gaan and easily tapped in for the deciding goal.
Arlington coach Nathan Davis said that last year’s 1-0 defeat at Bellevue gave the Eagles confidence on Tuesday night.
“The teams are both different, but it made us comfortable being down here,” Davis said. “It felt more like a league game or just another game. They’re equally as good after winning KingCo and we knew it was going to be a great match. They really pressured us hard.”
But it was Arlington’s pressure, despite losing the possession battle to the Wolverines over the 80 minutes, that created Buell’s goal.
“We took our possession and never stopped battling for the ball,” Buell said. “We all worked really hard and it was a great game for us. We’re all super excited.”
Arlington’s central defense duo of Kali Knepper and Kerra Willamson smothered Bellevue chances in front of Sanchez, who made five saves in the match to preserve the clean sheet.
“Kerra and Kali made five or six huge plays to just shut them down,” Davis said.
The Eagles will advance to face Sumner in the quarterfinals on Saturday, with a time to be determined.
Sumner defeated Stanwood 3-1 on Tuesday in its opening-round contest.
Arlington is a program on the rise after back-to-back state quarterfinal apperances, with possibly more success on the way.
“We’ve got a great group, but I have to give a lot of credit to the developmental coaches and the club coaches,” Davis said. “They’ve done a great job of developing these girls so that when we get them, we just have to work them into a team. The girls really enjoy playing together. It’s been a cool thing.”
At Bellevue H.S.
Goals—McKenzie Buell (A). Assists—Olivia Larson (A). Goalkeepers—Arlington: Kat Sanchez. Bellevue: Brittley Gaan. Records—Arlington 15-4-0 overall. Bellevue 13-4-0.
