On Oct. 12, Issaquah’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team had a disappointing loss against the Eastlake Wolves with a final score of 2-3, marking the fourth loss of the season.
The first half of the game proved decisive for the Eagles as senior co-captain Maggie Dutra and junior defender Sawyer Frye got two corner kicks within the first ten minutes. The competitiveness between the Wolves and the Eagles proved intense with aggressive back-and-forth playing, causing bumps and falls on the field.
The Eagles pushed through Eastlake’s advances when sophomore defender and forward Cate Kovats scored the first goal of the game with a long shot. However, Eastlake did not back down and put up a strong performance and managed to score a goal soon after. The momentum continued for the Eagles when Frye scored an incredible free kick goal 30 yards out ending the first half with Eagles 2-1. Throughout the first half of the game, the Eagles showed good teamwork and possession of the ball. Standout players include the team’s goalie, senior Sallie Thieme, senior forward Abby Cameron, and Frye.
Despite a great first half for Issaquah, Eastlake came back stronger scoring a goal two minutes into the second half. At times it seemed the Eagles struggled with coordination and cohesiveness as a team. Two players who showed outstanding teamwork were sophomore forward Sophie Penton and sophomore defender Ella Benders.
Emotions ran high from the crowd, tensions heightening as the Eagles continued to attempt to get past Eastlake’s defense and were unsuccessful. Eastlake’s great game proved too hard for the Eagles as Eastlake scored another goal. The result of the game came down to the last two minutes with the Eagle’s attempts to try and score another goal but in the end, their determination was not enough as Eastlake proved victorious.
Penton reflected on their loss and performance, stating, “I think we started the first half really strong and it was one of our better performances but in the second half we were unorganized.” Penton goes on to talk about the team’s goals for the game, mentioning that overall they just hoped for a better outcome as well as finishing the ball and being more cohesive as a team. Sophomore midfielder Emma Hensley commented on what she felt the team did well and what she felt they could improve on, stating, “I felt like we did well connecting the ball through the middle but I think we could improve on our long ball.”
Head Coach Jason Lichtenberger talked about his perspective of the team performance and their strategies, explaining, “I am extremely disappointed about the outcome because I felt like we were the better team and we had many opportunities to score goals to put the game away and we did not do that. I was very proud of how we played as a group overall. I thought it was one of our better performances of the season, especially in the first half but we did not do enough to put the game away when we should have.” He goes on to talk about the strategies revealing how they wanted to continue building on possession as they have in past games and get a variety of ways to attack.
It is notable to mention that tonight was also the team’s annual fundraiser night, “Kicking MS,” which featured a miracle minute during halftime to raise money for IHS alumni Claudia Longo’s foundation. Best of luck next time for the Eagles and come support them at the next game!
