Bellevue falls short of 3A state girls soccer title

Kangs beat Wolverines, 3-1, in final match.

By Andy Nystrom • November 23, 2019 8:30 pm

Bellevue sophomore forward Rebekah Roth let it all soak in for a while as she spoke with teammates and friends near the soccer pitch at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

“It’s a really amazing experience. It’s really cool to be able to be a part of it,” she said of participating in the 3A state final-four matches. “Our season started out kind of rough, but we really figured it out, we really worked hard and got to where we are.”

The Wolverines’ season ended on Nov. 23 with a 3-1 loss to Lake Washington in the championship match. It was LW’s third victory to one loss against its 3A KingCo rival this year.

Lake Washington’s Abby Nikfard unleashed a 30-yard shot that struck paydirt in the 22nd minute to give the Kangs a 1-0 lead.

Lake Washington (18-1-1), which kept the ball in Bellevue’s half of the pitch for much of the second frame, also received goals from Jen Estes in the 36th minute and Ari Issa in the 62nd minute to go up 3-0. Bellevue (13-6-3) struck back with an Audrey Miller goal in the 65th minute.

Bellevue head coach Peter Cochran noted that the Wolverines played in their fifth final four in the last seven years, and three in the last four years.

The Wolverines won eight out of their last 10 matches, including a 1-0 victory over Lakeside in a penalty kick shootout in the semifinals.

“We set very high expectations for the program, so I’m proud of the girls that we achieved our goals,” he said. “We obviously would have liked to have won, but full credit to Lake Washington. They’re an excellent team, we respect them greatly, they earned their title today.”

Cochran’s squad got solid performances from Roth, junior Miller, senior Ally Scoma and sophomores Chloe Capriotti and Halle Fletcher among others. Cochran said his team gave the Wolverines a chance in the final match of the season.

Roth said they’ll return to the pitch next season with some new players and a winning attitude.

“We’re losing our seniors, which is heartbreaking because we’re all so close, but next year we’ll be back and we’re gonna win,” she said with a smile.

It was exciting for Roth to battle Lake Washington again and it shows the 3A KingCo conference’s mettle by having two of its own in the final.