It doesn’t take long for Bellevue coach Jon Anderson to pinpoint what his team will need to do this season to be successful.
“It has to be teamwork,” said Anderson. “That’s what is going to make us successful.”
It’s going to be especially important this season as Kate Bennett – a senior who scored 21 goals in her first two seasons – will miss the entire season after suffering an ACL tear in late June with the U.S. Youth National team. Bennett played in Bellevue’s first two preseason games a year ago before leaving to train with the Crossfire boys program in order to train for the National team’s final tryout.
Although surgery and rehab will keep Bennett, recently named a Parade All-American, out for the season, she’ll still be with the program, as her teammates voted her an honorary captain.
“She wants to be part of the program,” Anderson said. “She’s a tremendous positive influence.”
Still, the loss stings.
“You take that out of the lineup, and yeah, that hurts,” Anderson said, comparing Bellevue without Bennett to the Seahawks without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Bellevue also lost stellar players in Caroline Whiting (University of Chicago) and Alex Nicholson from a team that went 6-7-5 and finished fourth in the KingCo 3A/2A conference last season.
Bellevue’s seniors knew this season had to be different. The result was a renewed offseason training effort that the Wolverines hope will help them come together on the field.
“We all thought we needed to step up in a leadership role,” said senior defender and captain Sammy McKee, a three-year starter. “Every senior and upperclassman wanted to bring this team together.”
Anderson and the rest of the squad hope a cohesiveness on the pitch can make up for the huge offensive void that is left with the loss of Bennett.
“We all know that we have to come out 100 percent on the field because we have to make up for that huge part of our team that we lost in Kate,” McKee said, “and that’s brought us more together.”
Bellevue’s strength this season should be its defense, led by McKee and Jessie Neiman. The goalkeeper slot is still up for grabs between returners Nicholine Bach and Alyssa Gilbert, but its more dependent on which 11 players fit best together, as both Bach and Gilbert can play striker as well.
“Having a tough defense is super important for us,” said Gilbert, Bellevue’s other captain. “Our offense is lacking right now but I know we have the skill to come together.
The Wolverines also have to contend with a brutal opening schedule – Bellevue plays five games in eight days to open the season. The team opens in a non-conference matchup on Sept. 10 when they host Skyline at 7:30.
“We really have to manage playing time and physical fatigue,” Anderson said. “I have to get them through those first five games healthy because it can really dramatically affect the entire season based on those first five games.”
The Wolverines open conference play on Sept. 15 when they host Sammamish, who made it to the state tournament last season.
“This team has a good energy about them,” Anderson said. “As long as they play together, they’re going to have success.”
