In the 18: Ballard outguns Bothell at Pop Keeney

by Kyler Parris

BOTHELL, Washington—On Thursday evening the Ballard Beavers defeated the Bothell Cougars 3:2 after overtime. It was both teams’ second KingCO 4A game of the season. The game was played at the great Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell, WA. See a match photo gallery from Cory Parris at Facebook.com/goalWA.

All through the first half, Bothell dominated the possession. Through crisp passing and well-formed runs, Bothell put themselves in good attacking positions. In every advance, Bothell was just lacking that final killer pass or the clinical shot. That is, until they finally broke through. Off of a great cross to the near post and some frantic defending in the box, Samantha Mellick was there for the fantastic, harsh-angle volley to the far post. 1-0 Bothell lead.

That slender lead didn’t last long, though. In one of Ballard’s rare first half attacks, two players were shouldering each other in the box, and the referee whistled for a penalty, which Ballard sophomore Bailey Travis slotted home. 1-1 At the end of the first half.

Ballard sustained that pressure that led to the goal all the way through the second half. In the words of Bothell ‘keeper Christy Noble, “Second half… not pretty”. The Cougars did strike first, however. Ballard goalkeeper Rebbecca Hultin mishandled the ball and Bothell midfielder Maddie Williams was there for the rebound. 2-1 Bothell lead. With 5 minutes left in the game, the Beavers tied the game up again with an arcing ball into the top right corner of the goal by Kristina Benirschke. 2-2. Onto overtime.

Just 3 minutes into overtime Ballard won the game with a hard shot from the top of the 18 from Kyla Alvarenga. Bothell was unable to tie up the hard-fought game. 3-2 Ballard win.

After the high-scoring affair, I caught up with Bothell’s sophomore goalkeeper, Christy Noble.

Christy Noble, Bothell Cougars goalkeeper. (Cory Parris)

Kyler Parris: How do you feel the team played?
Christy Noble: “I felt that we dominated the game, the ball being on their end of the field the majority of the time. However, as you know, there are games that when the ball maybe momentarily on our end of the field and a goal is scored. As a team, Bothell played well. The Ballard team just got the job done.”

KP: What are the team expectations now?
CN: “We’ve dug ourselves a hole, but we’re confident that we will be getting out of it next week.”

KP: What is it like to be one of the few sophomores and the starting goalkeeper?
CN: “I am honored to have been chosen for the position, and I realize that it is my position to lose. This makes me work harder than ever. There are times when being a sophomore goalkeeper is nerve-racking but, it’s only because I have to get out of my 15 year old mind frame and remember all the key points of how we goalies think.”

Scoring summary
Both — Samatha Mellick (Brianna McIntosh) 8:00
Bal — Bailey Travis Penalty kick (15:00)
Both — Madison Williams (Mackenzie Bean) 70:00
Bal — Kristina Benirschke (un) 79:00
Bal — Kyla Alvarenga (Emma Onstad-Hawes) 84:00

Records — Bothell 0-2-0 (3-4-0); Ballard 2-0-0 (5-2-0).

Starting Line-ups:

Bothell: Christy Noble, Maddie Williams, Allison Vick, Katie Alne, MacKenzie Bean, Courtney Shish, Breanna Nguyen, Samantha Mellick, Brianna McIntosh, Jessica Walters, Jessi Howe

Ballard: Rebbecca Hultin, Emily Dunn, Bailey Travis, Dylan McDonald, Emma Onstad-Hawes, Emma Cryan, Katie Gould, Cat Banobi, Anna Ferkingstad, Francesca Martorano, Nancy MacGeorge

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Kyler Parris is a seventh-grader at Skyview Junior High (Bothell, WA). He is a goalkeeper and midfielder for his Northshore Select team, as well as the co-captain. He enjoys writing, photography, and, most of all, soccer. Kyler is a participant in our new internship program that allows young writers, photographers and videographers a chance to gain experience covering soccer online. Contact us at goalWA@gmail.com for more intern information.