LACEY — On paper, the approach after the North Thurston girls soccer team’s Puget Sound League opener against Bellarmine Tuesday night is the same after any game.
Watch the film. Learn from mistakes. Build upon positive momentum. So on and so forth and all of the typical post-game coach speak.
But a 5-1 loss at home to an experienced Bellarmine group presented a different approach for a young North Thurston team.
The Rams plan to bookmark this loss and its tape, using Bellarmine as an example of the type of team they hope to become in the near future.
Throughout the game, Bellarmine’s experience reigned supreme. Energy, intensity, chemistry and efficiency on both offense and defense favored the Lions.
North Thurston, which started four promising freshmen Tuesday night, flashed its potential in the second half with a 64th-minute goal by one of those star pupils Londyn McKenzie. She made up a quarter of the “Fab Four” freshmen starters, joining Aileen Zittel, Aarya Bougher and Kendall Bamer.
“Pushing the freshmen to lead the team is a really difficult transition for them, but we really want to uplift them and give them that experience so that they can succeed going forward,” North Thurston assistant coach Tristan Glaser said. “I think we have a really solid crew of juniors and seniors that are leading them in a positive direction, especially in this game, in a difficult match against a really good team.”
From the opening kick, Bellarmine maintained a firm hold on the ball and didn’t allow a North Thurston possession to run for longer than a couple dozen seconds. The Lions defenders hounded every pass, and their forwards and midfielders set attackers up for success with sharp passes.
In the eighth minute, Bellarmine senior forward Abby Cassidy found junior forward Emry Parker for a goal that darted past North Thurston sophomore goalkeeper Quincie Henderson into the left side of the net. Henderson responded by sending back a pair of Lions free kicks.
McKenzie showed her defensive grit in the 24th minute as she made a sliding tackle on Cassidy near the box to prevent a clean shot attempt. But Cassidy earned another run moments later and found the back of the net while colliding with Henderson in the 26th minute.
The Rams created multiple chances late in the first half, including a free kick by Bougher in the 28th that missed wide to the left and a counter by McKenzie that was called offside.
After leading 2-0 at halftime, Bellarmine built on its lead with an Olivia Chambers goal in the 50th minute that clanked off the top of the post and rolled into the net, and Lexi Wan scored into the right side of the net in the 62nd minute.
Two minutes after the Lions took a 4-0 lead, North Thurston senior Molly Littauer earned a free kick from about 40 yards out, and it banged off the top of the goalpost and landed in front of sophomore Lillianna Bonnin, who quickly swiped it to McKenzie for the Rams’ lone goal of the night.
Parker’s second goal of the game came in the 68th minute to give the Lions a 5-1 advantage. For the remaining 12 minutes, McKenzie tried her best to use her speed to torch the Lions defense, but the Rams couldn’t capitalize on a couple of strong looks.
“Naturally, her instinct is to be dangerous,” Glaser said of McKenzie. “She really wants to be that threat and be that person that either finishes things or creates things. I know that she always pushes herself to want more. That’s something as a coach that you love to see, and I think that’s a quality that others are bringing with them. It’s rubbing off on everyone.”
Henderson recorded six saves in the loss, and North Thurston totaled just three shots on offense. It was a frustrating night for the young Rams, but Glaser appreciates that the girls are learning how to communicate and respond amid adversity. In particular, upperclassmen such as Littauer, Samantha Howard, Keara Watlington and Elaina Brannon, have displayed their selflessness to help the freshmen adapt to the high school varsity level.
“They are so integral to that nurturing of their careers and their high school aspirations,” Glaser said of the upperclassmen. “It can’t be understated because without them, it’d be even more difficult in these kinds of scenarios. We would have obviously loved to get a closer match. But it’s something that we can watch, learn from and hopefully take those same characteristics that they show, like that speed and tenacity, and really elevate our own game.”
North Thurston (1-2-1, 0-1-0 Puget Sound League) will travel to Silverdale Thursday night to face Central Kitsap (1-5-0, 0-1-0 Puget Sound League).
