Bellevue Athletic Clinch a playoff spot with 3-0 road win over Snohomish Sky

Written by Adam Race

For the fifth consecutive UPSL season, Bellevue Athletic is postseason-bound. BAFC clinched their Spring 2025 playoff berth on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 win over the Snohomish Sky in Lake Stevens. The win, paired with 3 Cities FC defeating SeaGam 1-0 in Shoreline, has moved Bellevue to the top of the UPSL-Washington table with two games to go in the regular season. 

Goals from Kenny Mansally, Jackson Finn, and Owen Gortner, paired with Bellevue’s third shutout of the season, secured the result. BAFC have won five straight matches and are undefeated in their last six, both of which are the longest streaks in the division.

The win, paired with 3 Cities FC defeating SeaGam 1-0 in Shoreline, has moved Bellevue to the top of the UPSL-Washington table with two games to go in the regular season. Three of the four UPSL-Washington playoff tickets have now been punched, with the fourth spot all but secured barring an incredible series of events over the final two matchdays. Everett Jets are still technically in the running for the final spot, but would need to win their final two games with 3 Cities losing their final two, with Everett also somehow making up a current 21-goal advantage held by 3 Cities on goal difference.

In all likelihood, UPSL-Washington’s four playoff-bound teams are Bellevue, SeaGam, Seattle Eagles, and 3 Cities FC. The final two matchdays will be crucial in determining playoff seeds and hosting rights. Only two points separate 4th place 3 Cities, and 1st place Bellevue, and all the playoff-bound squads can still finish anywhere in the top four.

Sunday’s match at Lake Stevens High School started in favor of the visitors. Early opportunities from Owen Gortner and Kenny Mansally sailed wide, and Bellevue did well to control possession.

For the seventh time in eight games this season, Bellevue opened the scoring. In the 8th minute, a shot from Aiden Drought was blocked at the top of the box, and fell to Kenny Mansally 35 yards from net. Mansally unleashed a thunderbolt of a left-footed volley, rocketing its way in off the post to make it 1-0. This was King Kenny’s fifth tally of the season, and an instant goal-of-the-year contender. 

Mansally continued to be highly involved throughout the first half, supplying service into the box, but Bellevue were unable to double their lead early on.

The hosts Snohomish Sky had their first look at goal in the 20th minute when a move down the left wing culminated in a shot for Eli Park from the top of the box, which was saved and held by Matt Janke in net for Bellevue. 

The chances kept coming for BAFC, with a chipped ball over the top in the 25th minute by Mansally finding the run of Cameron Yriondo, but Sky goalkeeper Edgar Fregoso reacted quickly, closing the distance to make a big save. 

The Sky forced a second save out of Janke in the 30th when a curled free kick was directed goalward at the top of the six-yard box by Sam Hough, but ended up right at the Bellevue goalkeeper. 

The hosts enjoyed a spell of attacking pressure from the 30th to the 40th minute, but sent a pair of shots wide on good opportunities from counterattacks. 

Bellevue’s best chance to go into the half with a 2-0 lead came in the 43rd minute when Aiden Drought crossed a ball into the box, which found a wide-open Jackson Finn. Finn collected and attempted to slot the ball into the low corner, but Fregoso sprawled to his left to tap it wide and keep the lead at just one.

Though Bellevue went into the halftime break with the lead, they were unfortunate not to have put away more of their chances. Several missed shots and quality saves meant everything was still to play for in the second 45. 

Bellevue Head Coach Mike Mata made a trio of substitutions at halftime, bringing on Mikey Hatcher, Beckham Mischel, and 2025 season debutant Enrique Guerrero. These changes had an immediate impact, with any semblance of counter-attacking threat from the hosts Dissipating and Bellevue dominating the ball to begin the period.

Bellevue would finally find a second breakthrough in the 70th minute. In an unorthodox moment of set-piece execution, BAFC found the back of the net on a long-throw routine. Beckham Mischel launched a throw-in all the way to the six-yard box, which took a Bellevue-friendly bounce right into the path of Jackson Finn, who finished from point-blank range for his third goal of the season. Mischel was credited for the assist from the touchline and now has goal contributions in back-to-back games after scoring last week against Everett. 

The visitors would continue to pour it on, with relentless high-pressing causing numerous interceptions in the Snohomish defensive third. In the 75th minute, Enrique Guerrero delivered an inch-perfect cross between the Sky back line and goalkeeper to the far post, where Owen Gortner would sweep it home for Bellevue’s third goal. 

Guerrero, the Seattle University midfielder, tallied the highlight-reel assist in his first game for Bellevue in Spring 2025. Gortner’s goal is his seventh in just four games this season, as he has now scored in every UPSL match for Bellevue since returning from injury and extends his lead atop the team’s 2025 goal scoring leaderboard.

After the insurance was added, BAFC’s focus shifted to preserving the shutout, and some goalkeeping heroics would be needed to tally the clean sheet. In the 80th minute, the Sky executed an impressive long-throw of their own, with the initial ball being flicked to the back post to the feet of Anthony Henry. Henry, who entered the match as the Sky’s 2025 joint leading-scorer with six UPSL goals, attempted to pass the ball into the back of the net from about five yards out. Henry, however, did not make powerful contact, giving Matt Janke just enough time to scramble across the goalmouth and hold the shot right on the line for a shutout-preserving reaction save.

Bellevue would see out the final 10 minutes to secure their fifth consecutive win, their third shutout, and a spot in the 2025 playoffs. 

Kenny Mansally’s wonder strike ended up as the difference in the match, and the MLS veteran talked after the match about the energy in the squad following their playoff-clinching win. “It feels great, you can feel the energy in the squad, all the boys are very happy right now.” Bellevue will go into the playoffs as back-to-back defending conference champs, looking to maintain their dominance in UPSL-Washington over the last year. “Bellevue is a big club right now, and making the playoffs season after season is a great achievement.”

Mansally now has nine goal contributions on the year, seven of which came during his four-goal, three-assist performance on matchday one against Thurston County. The former Gambian International had an assist last week on the game-winning goal and made his second-straight start on Sunday as he scored the winner. “I feel great. Right now I am feeling myself. It’s good motivation as well going forward, to get two starts and two good results.”

Bellevue Head Coach Mike Mata talked postgame about the impact that Mansally has had on the squad this season after another great performance from the veteran: “He’s like a mentor for the younger players. His attitude, his personality, on and off the field he’s an amazing human being and an amazing player. What he did today just goes to show that he still has something to give, and we are very grateful that he is with Bellevue Athletic.”

Coach Mata has been setting two main objectives for his squad over the last few matches: clinch playoffs and win the regular season title. Bellevue achieved the first of those two in Lake Stevens while continuing to play dominant soccer. “Clinching playoffs means a lot to us,” said Mata postgame. Our objective was to come here and play a great game. We created a lot of chances and could have scored more, but 3-0 is what we needed, and we are very happy.”

BAFC returns to the east side for the final time in the 2025 regular season on Sunday, June 8th, for a highly anticipated rematch against SeaGam FC. The winner of the match will be in pole position to take the regular-season crown headed into matchday 11. 

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