Heading into the 2015 season, both players and coaches on the Mercer Island girls soccer team made a point of emphasizing speed as the team’s biggest strength.
Through five games, the team has put it on display, though it was probably no more evident than in their first league match against Interlake.
Mercer Island raced to a 4-0 first half lead and continued to score early and often in a 9-0 thumping of the Saints Tuesday at Islander Stadium.
Three Islander players each scored two goals in the shutout, with Camryn Steiner, Jordan Snyder and Taylor Krause all scoring twice for their 5-0 squad. With the nine-goal outburst, Mercer Island has scored 22 goals as a team this season, while conceding three.
“The girls know every game is a challenge and we must rise to the occasion and get better every game,” Islander coach Ryan Camden said. “We always preach good habits and so we wanted to bring those good habits into the game.”
Mercer Island didn’t make things easy for Interlake goalie Jordan Jenkins, firing 13 shots throughout the first half. Mary Elise Lovejoy put the Islanders ahead 1-0 with an unassisted goal in the seventh minute. Seven minutes later, Kate Miller added to the Islander lead, finding the back of the net after rebounding a shot by teammate Namya Malik. Camryn Steiner followed up another Malik rebound in the 24th minute, slipping past Jenkins with a goal to make it a 3-0 game. And Jordan Snyder capped the offensive surge in the 33rd minute with a beautiful, right-side cross shot from 20 yards out that found the left corner of the net, giving Mercer Island a commanding 4-0 halftime advantage.
Snyder said the shot was a first of its kind in her playing career.
“I’ve shot like that from the center of the field, but never from the side,” she said.
The offense didn’t stop there. Taylor Krause scored goals in the 51st and 70th minutes, Steiner and Snyder each scored their second goals of the game in the 54th and 58th minutes, respectively, and freshman Ashley Rudd got in on the action with a goal in the 69th minute.
Though things have been fairly smooth for the Islanders through five games, Steiner admitted she didn’t expect her team to be off to such a strong start at the beginning of the year.
“Most of our team members are new players, so we worked really hard to get where we are today,” Steiner said. “We connect really well. The team chemistry just works really well on the field.”
At 5-0, Camden said the coaching staff was very pleased with where things stood for the undefeated Islanders. But the Mercer Island coach acknowledged every victory presented its own challenge for his team.
“We told the girls, ‘Every time you win, the target on your back gets bigger,'” Camden said. “The main thing is, can we as a team increase our motivation as that target gets bigger.”
Next, Mercer Island will take on Juanita at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Islander Stadium.
Notes
The Islanders were wearing coral ribbons in honor of late Island resident Diane Johnson, mother of goalkeeper Bella Johnson, who passed away last May. Johnson served as a volunteer in Mercer Island schools, and was a PTA president at both West Mercer Elementary and Mercer Island High School, in addition to serving on numerous committees.
“We were playing for Diane Johnson tonight,” Camden said. “We brought her inspiration into tonight’s game.”
