Girls soccer outlook: Fun has just begun for Issaquah
ISSAQUAH — Practice was supposed to start at 3:45 p.m. but coach Tom Bunnell is late.
So, on an idyllic, sun-drenched afternoon at Issaquah High School, with paragliders hovering over nearby Tiger Mountain like handkerchiefs, the defending Class 3A girls soccer state champions stand in a circle, point at each other — and imitate animal sounds.
Chickens, cows, elephants. The last one gets the most giggles.
Bunnell eventually appears, the circle disperses and the drills begin. But the fleeting moment of fun illustrates that not-so-tangible but oh-so-desirable key to this, and every other, season:
Team chemistry.
"Everyone getting along and everyone accepting each other, that's a major deal, especially in girls and women's sports," Bunnell says later. "Staying on the same page, everyone backing each other up. That goes a long way in winning a championship.
"We haven't missed a beat from last year."
That should be fair warning to the rest of the state's 3A schools. The Eagles are loaded with talent and looking to repeat. And they want to have fun doing it.
Senior captain and midfielder Lindsey Kasser, an energetic 5-foot-5 playmaker, has already committed to play next year at Washington. She was on the all-state first team last year, when she assisted on 15 goals, and won KingCo 3A co-MVP honors with teammate Lauren Dascenzo, now at Gonzaga.
"She's got great vision," Bunnell says of Kasser. "She never panics. She'll attract attention, bring in the defenders, and then we're free to attack because everyone's drawn to her."
Kasser says she appreciates the simple things about the sport: the coaching; the friends she's made playing soccer all over the country with the Olympic Development Program; the little steps that add up to every successful score.
Physical sophomore Kate Deines, a 5-9 forward with powerful legs, started last spring for the U.S. under-16 women's team during its tour of Japan. Bunnell expects her to be one of the top scorers in KingCo 3A this year. She got two goals and an assist in last week's nonconference season opener.
"She's very physical and she's fast," Bunnell says. "She's great in the air, and she's very unselfish. It's almost sometimes, she needs to be more selfish, pull the trigger."
Deines' love for soccer began early. Her grandmother gave her a soccer ball as an early birthday present. "I shrieked — from pure joy," Deines recalls. "It never left my side."
And don't overlook team speed. Junior midfielder Lauren Maris is the state's defending 800-meter race champion.
Postseason goals aside, Issaquah will need to survive what could be the most competitive conference in the state.
The rugged KingCo 3A schedule includes Bellevue, powered by a pair of experienced midfielders, Jamie Peterson and Christine Jones; Mount Si, returning Mariana Zanella and Kirsten Mills, two of the league's top five scorers last year; and Mercer Island, led by Nance Hill, super-sophomore Alix Michael and keeper Kat Meagley, who didn't allow a goal in 600 minutes of play last year.
Add to that mix Newport and Sammamish, anchored by All-KingCo 3A first-team goalies Rachel Croft and Kelsey Hasselblad, respectively, and Issaquah has its hands full.
"We know we are a target," Kasser says. "The mindset is that every game is going to be a hard game."
Last season was a great memory, Kasser and Deines say. But that trophy is tucked safely away. Both are determined to prove themselves again, to win a league championship, to run with a new band of teammates.
League play starts tonight. Issaquah opens at Mercer Island.
| Players to watch | |||
| Some of the top girls soccer players at high schools in King and Snohomish counties: | |||
| Player | Pos. | Year | School |
| Pfeiffer Bloecker | F | So. | Seattle Prep |
| Teresa Bowns | MF | Sr. | Redmond |
| Chelsea Bumbaugh | F | Sr. | Monroe |
| Kate Deines | F | So. | Issaquah |
| Julie Futch | MF | Sr. | Auburn Riverside |
| Jenice Geare | GK | Sr. | Ingraham |
| Brittany Gegax | GK | Sr. | Cascade (Everett) |
| Samie Gillie | D | Sr. | Cedarcrest |
| Lauren Hansen | F | Jr. | Stanwood |
| Kaitlyn Heinsohn | F | Jr. | Highline |
| Chelsey Hugo | D | Jr. | Stanwood |
| Lindsey Kasser | MF | Sr. | Issaquah |
| Jen Lee | MF | Sr. | Juanita |
| Cris Lewis | GK | Sr | Kennedy |
| Kelsey Lusebrink | MF | Jr. | Decatur |
| Nicole Murray | MF | Sr. | Mount Rainier |
| Dani Oster | MF | Sr. | Jackson |
| Miranda Savory | D | Sr. | Bothell |
| Emma Stoltz | F | Jr. | Woodinville |
| Kerstin Torrescano | F | Sr. |
Mountlake Terrace |
Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com
