Bellevue Athletic Take On Everett Jets In Search of Fourth Consecutive Win

Written by Adam Race

Bellevue Athletic return to Bellevue College this Sunday for a match against UPSL newcomers and longtime EPLWA contenders Everett Jets. The Black and Gold have now won three straight UPSL matches and are looking to build off a convincing 4-1 win on the road last weekend against Gala FC.

With just four games remaining in the Spring 2025 regular season, BAFC sit in second in the UPSL-Washington table. Bellevue are undefeated at home this season in three matches, winning two and drawing one. 

Over their four-game undefeated streak, which is the second longest active streak in the division, Bellevue have outscored their opponents 9-2. The Eastside Boys have only spent 10 minutes of the Spring 2025 season trailing in a game, and have not trailed at any point since their matchday two loss against SeaGam. 

Everett Jets come into this weekend’s match winless in their last three matches, having lost 2-0 to a red-hot Seattle Eagles team last week in Everett. The Jets started life in the UPSL on the right foot, winning their first three matches of the season, but have since suffered two losses and a draw, all of which have come against teams currently in the playoff qualification zone. The Jets now sit in 5th place, just four points outside the playoffs, and will be coming into the match Sunday knowing that they need every point they can get.

Bellevue have faced Everett twice before in friendly matches, but this will be the first time the clubs meet in league play. 

BAFC are six points clear in the playoff qualification zone, but with 5th-place Everett holding a game in hand, getting a result on Sunday will be crucial to clinching another postseason berth. “For the rest of the season, every game is like a final for us,” is the message from Bellevue Head Coach Mike Mata. 

A win this Sunday would put the Eastside Boys just one good week away from clinching a playoff spot, as well as bringing them within three points of league leaders SeaGam. “Our goal is to catch up with first place and qualify for the playoffs,” said Mata.

Bellevue Athletic and USL-2

This is the busiest time of the year for lower-league soccer in the United States. With UPSL in the final stretch of the regular season and USL-2 now fully underway,  fans of local clubs as well as local talent have multiple options to watch or play. This USL-2 season is a big one for the state of Washington, with new additions Snohomish United and Bigfoot FC rounding out what is now seven USL-2 teams from the Evergreen state, including three from Seattle and Bellevue. 

“USL2 starting means more opportunities to more players, and that’s the great part of this,” says Bellevue Coach Mike Mata. “As a club, our main goal is to develop and promote players to the highest level possible, for now in Washington, during these months, that’s USL-2.”

Bellevue Athletic has always been a hub of top local talent, and the club’s direct links to USL-2 through current players and alumni are extensive. To help follow and support these players, below is a collection of familiar faces competing in this summer’s USL-2 season.

Bellevue alums are already making an impact in USL-2 this season, with Jacen Stein scoring for West Seattle Junction and Felipe Souza scoring for Tacoma Stars. Ethan Peterson also drew a game-winning PK last week for the Stars against the Junction.

Know the Opponent: Everett Jets

For the fourth time in Spring 2025, Bellevue’s Athletic will face off with a UPSL newcomer, but Everett Jets are far from a new name in the local soccer scene. 

The Jets were founded on the heels of one of the darkest days in US Soccer’s recent history, the USMNT’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Everett Jet’s cofounder and Sporting Director Hawk Mummey saw the failure to qualify as rooted in a failure at the local developmental level in the U.S. “As a U.S soccer fan, it was like, what is going on? So we really started brainstorming, is there something we could do in our local community to help make a positive impact on the game?”

Like many other UPSL clubs, Everett Jets set out to create a pathway for local youth to further their skills and their lives as a whole through the beautiful game, a prospect which is too often impossible because of expensive academy set-ups. “There’s a lot of controversy when it comes to how the U.S does things from a youth and semi-pro level. A lot of folks don’t like the fact that America is mostly pay-to-play at the youth level. This is our way to kind of give back to those communities. Whether it be guys that didn’t have the grades, or those who can’t afford to play, but still love the game, it’s giving them a platform where they can showcase their talents.”

Everett Jets have already produced five pro players, including two MLS draftees, two players overseas, and a local USL-1 goalkeeper in Spokane Velocity’s Jackson Buck, who is also a Bellevue College product.

The club was set to play its inaugural season during 2019-2020 in the EPLWA, and was immediately rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the loss of their first-ever campaign. But after the early hiccup, the club was able to establish itself as consistent playoff contenders in the EPLWA, the other top state-wide league in Washington. While the Jets are yet to win a trophy, they have competed at the highest level of the local game, including making a league final in 2024, falling to one of the top local clubs in the state in Yakima United. 

After building up the club with success in the EPLWA, Everett made the jump this Spring to the UPSL, the first national league on the American soccer pyramid. “A goal of ours was always to get into a national league,” said Mummey. “We felt the time was right, and it’s a milestone for the club.”

The Jets currently sit in 5th place, four points outside the playoffs, meaning every remaining game, including this Sunday, is absolutely crucial. “We’re looking at every game from here on out as a playoff match, it’s a must-win,” said Mummey. “Our goal is to bring a national championship to the Pacific Northwest. That’s why we play the game, we want the ultimate trophy. Right now, the goal is to be one of those top four clubs that have an opportunity to fight for a conference title and then go on and represent the Pacific Northwest.”

Bellevue Athletic 2025 UPSL Stats 

Individual: Outfield

Individual: Goalkeeping

Team: Overall

UPSL Washington Standings/Schedule

Playoff Qualification Zone

How To Follow

Fans can follow Bellevue Athletic online at bellevueathletic.com and via social media on Instagram (@bellevueathletic), Facebook (@bellevueathletic), and YouTube (@bellevueathletic).