Girls soccer team accentuates the positive after tough loss

Bellevue Christian Vikings finished second in last season’s state tournament and brought a very experienced team to play the Pirates.

By Jenni Wilke For The Beachcomber • October 2, 2025 6:25 pm
(Alara Demir Photo) Junior Tisah Durahim, recovering from a quad injury, was able to put in some minutes at the start of the game. Junior Tisah Durahim, recovering from a quad injury, was able to put in some minutes at the start of the game. (Alara Demir Photo)
(Alara Demir Photo) Junior Tisah Durahim, recovering from a quad injury, was able to put in some minutes at the start of the game. Junior Tisah Durahim, recovering from a quad injury, was able to put in some minutes at the start of the game. (Alara Demir Photo)

The Vashon High School Girls’ soccer team faced their toughest competition yet against Bellevue Christian Vikings on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The Vikings finished second in last season’s state tournament and brought a very experienced team to play the Pirates.

Despite missing several players due to injuries and illness, Vashon had a strong start to the game. Both teams lined up defensively, and the first ten minutes saw possession split fairly evenly.

The first chance for either team on goal came in the 11th minute when sophomore, Josie Reiling fed the ball to freshman, Lana Antonelis, who managed to outpace the Bellevue defender and send in a shot that went wide of the goal. Reiling made her own attempt just one minute later.

It was Bellevue that would find the back of the net first in the 16th minute of the game. Senior goalkeeper, Nya Hart, managed to block a shot, but one of the Vikings, catching the Vashon defense ball watching, capitalized on the rebound and scored.

Buoyed by their success, the Vikings dominated possession for the next ten minutes until Antonelis managed to get through three defenders and cross the ball into senior, Morgan Earnest, who shot the ball straight to the keeper. In the 36th minute, a free kick was awarded to Bellevue in a dangerous position just outside of the box. The setting sun complicated the situation and the Vikings sent a ball sailing into the net to double their lead.

Heading into the second half and down by two, Coach April Bottman Haase made some substitutions and changes in positions to increase Vashon’s chances of scoring a goal. However, Bellevue maintained the majority of possession, firing off shots about every five minutes on the Pirate goal.

Luckily, senior goalkeeper Nya Hart was up to the challenge, recording eight saves in the span of forty minutes.

Vashon’s best opportunity to get on the board came in the 73rd minute when the referee awarded the Pirates a free kick just outside of the box — hoping to mirror her opponent’s goal, junior and co-captain, Isa Knowler, sent in a shot that hit the crossbar.

Bellevue’s defenders were quick to react, though and the Vikings maintained the shutout win.

Due to some changes in league rules, this game does not count for league standings and the Pirates certainly have some positives to take away from it.

After the match, sophomore, Josie Reiling reflected, “Even though we lost the game, I think we played more as a team than we have before, especially with some better passing. We have been working on being faster to the ball to pressure the other team and win bad passes, which paid off in the game. I am excited to see where the season goes as we continue to grow as a team!”

The Pirates will face the Vikings again Oct. 9 at Marymoor Park. Hopefully, with a fully fit team, they will achieve a different result.

Jenni Wilke is an educator who covers girls soccer and other subjects for The Beachcomber.