Last Tuesday, Eastside Catholic traveled east to battle with last season’s 4A WA State semifinalists, Bellevue High School. Coming off an 8-1 2023 season, the Wolverines were probably favored to win the contest, but a strong defensive showing from the Crusaders saw the game grind out to a 0-0 draw.
After a cagey first half that saw just two shots on goal for the Wolverines and none for the Crusaders, both teams went into halftime looking to come out swinging in the second half. Bellevue did exactly that (and were maybe a bit unlucky), tallying 9 shots in the second half, 2 of which struck the woodwork. Crusader goalkeeper Logan Hellyar was busy all afternoon but was helped immensely by senior centerback and University of Chicago commit Hadley Hagwell, who had a handful of crucial blocks and tackles to keep Bellevue at bay.
Wolverines striker Saleen Koszorus led the charge for the home team, forcing the Crusader backline into a number of uncertain situations, but unfortunately for Koszorus, she picked up an injury after a tough tackle just midway through the opening half.
Bellevue instead leaned on Mia Draper, their talented winger, to apply attacking pressure on the EC defense. With quick combination play and whipped crosses, Draper posed a real threat to break the deadlock between the two evenly matched foes.
The Wolverines may have leaned on Draper to avoid central midfield, occupied by EC’s Grace Russell. The junior midfielder controlled the center of the field with efficient passing and clever dribbling. The Crusaders would have loved to lean on their own talented winger, Ashy Wilkins, but Wilkins is currently sidelined with injury.
The scoreline was reflected in the possession stats as well, with EC holding 47% of the ball to Bellevue’s 53%.
Going into the next week Eastside Catholic will be taking on Franklin and Garfield, while Bellevue will be up against Seattle Prep and Eastlake.
