Not even two consecutive losses in the Class 3A state girls soccer tournament could put a damper on the spirits of the Bellevue Wolverines soccer team.
The Columbia River Chieftains registered a 3-1 victory against Bellevue in the Class 3A third place/fourth place game on Nov. 22 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Bellevue’s Noelle Mitchell scored her team’s lone goal of their final game on a penalty kick in the 19th minute, tying the game at 1-1. The Wolverines finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 18-2 and finished the regular season with a 16-0 undefeated record. Bellevue head coach Matt Dorman said his team had a lot to be proud of despite the loss in the season finale.
“Results don’t define the season. It’s the journey you take that gets you there and that is going to be what sticks with our players,” Dorman said. “I’m really proud of what they’ve done and what they’ve achieved. We kept consistent with our aims and the philosophy we wanted to bring since the first day of our season. I don’t there is many schools that have had the perfect regular season. I’m really proud of them for having that record.”
Bellevue senior defender Corinne Foster was in good spirits as she departed the soccer field at Sparks Stadium for the final time as a high school soccer player.
“It was an awesome season. We didn’t finish out the way we wanted to, but overall we had a really fun time this year. I think it was a bummer we couldn’t pull it off (undefeated season/state title) but our team did really well,” Foster said.
Going into the semifinals and the third place/fourth place game, the Wolverines allowed just seven goals in 18 games. The Wolverines will be strong in 2015 as they will return 14 varsity players from this year’s squad.
“It’s a fantastic group. We’ll be back here next year and I think we can be successful,” Dorman said.
EDMONDS-WOODWAY STUNS BELLEVUE
The Wolverines dominated play for the first 20 minutes of their matchup against the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they couldn’t find the back of the net and Edmonds-Woodway star forward Madison Schultz took over. Schultz scored a game-high three goals (28th minute, 36th minute and 75th minute) propelling the Warriors to a 3-0 victory against the Wolverines in the Class 3A semifinals on Nov. 21 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. The Warriors snapped the Wolverines 18-game winning streak with the win. Schultz said the Warriors are notoriously known for starting off games sluggish.
“I think for us it was just getting that first goal in and realizing that we were still in it. Once we got the first goal it really changed the momentum for the rest of the game,” Schultz said.
Dorman was disappointed to see his team lose its first contest of the 2014 season.
“We dominated the first 20 minutes and also dominated the whole second half. They (Edmonds-Woodway) did what they needed to do to get the win. Games come down to little things and they took their chances well,” Dorman said.
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
