Blaine girls soccer sees a close game slip away late

The Borderites girls soccer team fought hard through incessant rain on Sept. 24, but Lynden Christian slipped away with a 3-1 win in the final minutes. 

Blaine trailed 1-0 for most of the game after a first-half goal, but sophomore Ruby Belarmino tied it in the second half with a perfect header on a well-placed corner kick by senior Kate Koreski.

But Lyncs’ sophomore Josie VanCorbach was able to score a goal with less than 10 minutes to play, and then minutes later a goal by sophomore Addi Molendyk put it out of reach for Blaine. 

Despite the tough loss, Belarmino was happy with how the Borderites played against Lynden Christian — which the team considers to be its rival.

“I feel like having a result that doesn’t define the game is a little bit disappointing,” she said after the game, “but I feel like the way we were able to shift and flow as a team just shows how much we’ve grown since the start of the season.”

Belarmino gave the credit to her teammates for what was her third goal of the season.

“Just the way that (the goal) played out flowed so well. With the communication from Kate Koreski who was taking the corner, and all the other girls in the box — I felt like that space was open, perfect for a goal,” she said.

Belarmino believes that if the team can carry the same energy into its next games and build upon it, they’ll be in good shape.

“The way that we were calm and collected — I feel like that was amazing this game,” she said. “I feel like in future games, that will show if we can keep this pace up.”

Coach Gio Quesada agreed.

“You see the quality. I’m proud of my team,” he said following the game. “It’s just the little details.”

For about 85% of the game, the girls played perfect soccer, he said. 

Quesada noted that three Blaine freshmen started the game against Lynden Christian.

He said that he’s been impressed with how his team has played so far this season, especially considering how young the team is.  

“This is the beginning,” Quesada said. “That showed me that this team is ready for more.”

The Borderites lost 4-1 at home Saturday against Overlake. They took on Mount Baker Tuesday night.