Liberty soccer shoots down Seagulls

Last season, the Liberty Patriots girls soccer team fell to the would-be state champs, ending their season. This year, that game is all but a memory as they buried the Everett Seagulls 4-0 to kick off their 2024 campaign.

The Patriots wasted no time with Everett in their first game of the season. In just the third minute, Bella Grabowski found freshman Morgan Ackermann with a gorgeous ball, which Ackermann sent to the back of the Seagulls’ net.

“I thought it was really important to start quick and get going to be on the front foot … I thought we executed really well tonight,” Manager Ryan Johnson said.

Ackermann shined in her Patriot debut. Her footwork, energy and creativity really shined and she continued to show she deserved to be on the field throughout the game.

“We saw her in tryouts and she stood out … She’s able to compete at this level and is really physical,” Johnson said.

“I just had a rush of excitement,” Ackermann said. “I was really happy and pretty glad that I got it in.”

Not only could Ackermann score, but she also was in on the Patriots’ second goal with an assist. Skylar Yu was on the receiving end of an Ackermann cross and Yu put Liberty up 2-0 inside of the first 10 minutes of the game.

“It felt really good,” Ackermann said. “Having them congratulate me and give me hugs after was really nice.”

The Patriots’ defense was on lockdown for the entire first half. Everett attackers had less than 10 touches on the ball inside the Patriot half of the field in the first half. Everett also didn’t record a shot on target the entire night.

Liberty midfielders were the game controllers and all over the place. Senior Malia Suehiro, junior Skylar Yu and Bella Grabowski dominated. The three of them made life extremely difficult for Everett, winning the ball for Liberty countless times.

“We had to win the midfield. That was one of our goals tonight. We did a good job of doing that,” Johnson said.

Late in the second half, Liberty was on the attack once more and a cross from Ackermann turned into a failed clearance, which found the right foot of sophomore Casey Smith. She went outside the keeper’s reach for the Patriots’ third goal of the game.

In the second half, Liberty continued to apply pressure. The Patriots were searching for a fourth goal and came extremely close a few times. Grabowski found a lot of space above the 18-yard box and forced keeper Emerson Hammer to make some big saves. There was also a good spell of play by sophomore Addie Struer, who even hit the cross bar.

The fourth goal did eventually make its way on the scoreboard for the Patriots from a familiar face. Another loose ball found the foot of Smith and she sent it to the top left corner of the goal for the fourth goal. Smith was even playing out of position and was unaware where she would be in the starting lineup.

“She went last minute into that spot, played really well and rose up to the challenge… She made two really great strikes on the ball,” said Johnson.

Everett was a game shy of the state tournament last year, which served as a good start for the Liberty season. This year, the Patriots have eight 4A games on the schedule, which will no doubt be a test.

“We have been working hard to be more physically ready to play at that level… Each game is going to get harder and harder for us. Even though we looked good tonight, there is still things we can work on,” said Johnson.

“It is kind of scary since I am a freshman. But I am looking forward to it because it will be good competition,” Ackermann said.