Last year, the Bellevue College women’s soccer team made it all the way to the playoffs of the NWAACC tournament, but they were eliminated in the first round of the championship.
The team hopes to put last season’s disappointment behind them and work towards winning a major tournament this season.
Head coach Kiko Magana thinks his team is good enough to win the NWAACC tournament. “The way my team has played so far this season, I believe we can make it to the NWAACC tournament playoffs and win the tournament,” said Magana.
The team recruited 16 freshmen this year to play alongside the five sophomores on the team, bringing the total number of players to 21.
Magana is pleased with the quality of the players available to him. He mentioned Gaby Adamson, Samantha Mellick and Jessica Walters as the most outstanding players on the team.
Gaby Adamson, one of the 16 freshmen recruited this year, said she has learned a lot from the sophomores since she joined the team. She is confident the team will be victorious this season. “Joining the team has taught me a lot,” said Adamson.
“I am confident that we can win the NWAACC tournament this year.” Samantha Mellick, a sophomore, said last season was good, but she is confident this season will be better. “We played well last season, but [we] lost at the playoffs […] I think we can win the NWAACC championship”, Mellick said. “Although we have played some very good teams, we are in [a] very good position to win the tournament.” As for Jessica Walters she is rated as one of the best players in the league by NWAACC this year.
The team has played 12 matches this season, recording six draws, four victories and only two defeats. Their most recent match, played last Saturday, was a 13-0 victory over Grays Harbor. The team is now occupying the third spot on the Western League table. They will be looking to move closer to the top spot on Friday when they take on Peninsula College in a home fixture.
Coach Magana’s strategy is to help all the players on the team improve their skills and get them to work hard for the overall benefit of the team.