The Bellevue College men’s soccer team has begun the season with a rough start. With an 0-4 record, the Bulldogs looked for their first win against the defending champions at Highline. It was a big task ahead of them, but coach Eduardo Millan still thought of it as somewhat of a success. The end result of this game was a loss of four goals to zero, dropping the Bulldogs’ record to 0-5. Millan spoke his praises nonetheless.
After coaching for other various clubs in Washington State for the last 15 years, this season marks Millan’s first at Bellevue College. His most recent venture, coaching both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Highline High School, proved a massive success. He led the girls’ team to the 2A District Tournament three years in a row, earning coach of the year in 2014. The boys’ team also made it to the tournament for their first time in over a decade under Millan’s leadership.
The coach isn’t the only unfamiliar aspect of the team, as Millan stated that only two of this year’s team members are returning from last year. Under entirely new management and brand new players, it is not entirely a surprise that the team has not found victory just yet. To Millan, putting the pieces together take time, and the team will come together with the experience that the players gain over the season.
Giving up four goals to the defending champions is itself a minor victory, especially considering some of the other games this season. The team already shows growth and the ability to persevere, which Millan noted as a major strength. With their defeat to Highline, Millan noted that the overall mentality among the team was better than that of earlier losses.
All three goals this season have been scored by the new members of the team, them being James Farrell, Miles Miller and Kyle Han. Goalie Roberto Jimenez, one of the sophomores for the team, has also obtained more saves than the opposition in every game he’s played so far.
The season might have had a rocky start, but Millan emotionally encourages the Bellevue College community to support them at their games. He expects the team to have growing success as the season goes on, and as they gain more experience together as a unit. The Bulldogs have a home game today at 4:00 p.m., followed by their Homecoming match-up next Wednesday Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m.