Eye of the Storm: Squalicum soccer’s deep midfield key to season’s success

Before the season began, Squalicum girls’ soccer coach David Kish knew his team was loaded with talent. He had one big concern though: the Storm midfield.

After winning a Class 2A state title last season, the entire starting midfield of Michelle Saunders, Sarah Byron and Julia DeVere — all three of whom earned all-state honors — graduated.

Replacing those players would be instrumental in the success of the Storm this season.

Well, the Storm are headed to a fourth straight Class 2A State Tournament with an undefeated 19-0-0 record, have outscored opponents 87-4 and the middle of the field has been tremendous, making Squalicum a complete team from top to bottom.

Kendra Steele, who played for Bellingham her freshman season before taking last year off, has scored six goals and eight assists while helping kick start the attack. Sarah Hulbert was a starter last year for the state championship team and has taken another step forward this season. Catelyn Stevenson was a super sub last season and moved to starter this season and hasn’t disappointed.

“I knew Sarah would do a great job leading the team from the midfield,” Kish said in a phone interview. “Then it was great seeing Catelyn work hard and play well to earn a starting position. And Kendra coming in and fitting right in and adopting the team-centered focus.”

But the Storm’s midfield doesn’t stop there.

Reserves Sophie Nguyen and Annie Roth give reprieve to the starters, who face a demanding workload.

“With the system having such a high demand, I’ve had to do a rotation with the girls coming off the bench,” Kish said. “Annie has been a real big surprise. She just gets better every year. ... One of the other pleasant surprises, Sophie, who’s a freshman that’s come into the program and just blown us away.”

A defensive mindset

Only 11 of Squalicum’s 87 goals this season have come from its midfielders, and that’s the way Kish likes it. With how the Storm’s midfield is set up, it isn’t supposed to score.

With two holding mids and one attacking, the primary goal of the midfield is to defend, and that’s what it does best. All three starters used to play defender or currently play it with club teams.

The skillset allows the Storm to press opposing defenders who have the ball and intercept crossfield passes. Oftentimes, opponents’ attackers can’t even get the ball in the attacking zone, and when they do, the holding mids are bearing down while the defenders keep opponents in front.

“We take so much pride in working together and being a connected team,” Hulbert said in a phone interview. “We play such good team defense. We can stop teams from even getting five shots on goal, and that’s really great. The better we play on defense, the happier we are. It’s a fun game when we build off that.”

It’s that defense-first mindset that’s limited opponents to just four goals this season and allows Squalicum to stop even the top attackers without having to man-mark or double team.

While keeping opponents off the board is the primary goal, this midfield also is the flint and steel of a potent attack and one that has the important task of getting the ball to all-state players Kim Hazlett and Kim Dorr.

Making their presence known

Many midfields that play in a 4-3-3 formation fall victim to four-midfielder formations, disappearing due to the lack of numbers. Not the Storm.

Squalicum’s midfield never stops moving. Hulbert likened the tactic to the recycle logo — each player will make a checking run to receive the ball while another fills their spot.

It ensures the defenders have someone to clear the ball to and the forwards have someone to drop the ball off to.

“We’re always in constant rotation,” Steele said in a phone interview. “We are a unit. If we step to the left, we all shift that way. We keep our positioning. There’s never a weak link, never a gap. We’re always there for each other.”

That movement, while a huge asset for the team, is also a big reason the position is so challenging to play and requires not only a great chemistry, which has quickly developed, but a high level of fitness.

“I knew it was a lot of running, but I was not used to it at all,” Hulbert said. “It’s a smart position. Know when to step and know when to drop. You have to balance in between the offense and defense.”

It’s also where that deep bench comes into play. With equally talented players coming off the bench to give the starters a breather, the Storm midfield is always fresh and eyeing a fourth consecutive Class 2A state semifinal appearance.

Level-headed

While a state semifinal game is now just two wins away, the Storm is being careful not to get ahead of itself.

“We just look at the game right in front of us. The first game we have to deal with is the challenge,” Hulbert said. “Focus on that team, narrow down what we have to do in that specific game and then go to the next game.”

That next game will be against Steilacoom at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Civic Stadium in the first round of the state playoffs.

For Steele, a win means she gets to play more soccer, and that’s good enough for her.

“I just love to play soccer,” said Steele, whose Red Raiders squad upset Squalicum two years ago in the state semifinal before falling in the championship. “Since we’re going to state, that means we get more games.”

A state title would sure be nice too.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Eye of the Storm: Squalicum soccer’s deep midfield key to season’s success."