With two weeks left in the fall sports season, the Ballard High School girls soccer team is the only Beaver team with a winning record, and junior Sara Ives is one of the main reasons.

Ives' 11 goals this season - almost half the team's total - place her second in scoring in KingCo 4A behind Eastlake High School's Emily Hurd, who has 12.

This 2008 season isn't an isolated event for Ives, who has found success in soccer since she started playing in kindergarten.

Ives said her success is due to hard work and her natural speed.

"Just like anything, it takes practice," she said. "I wasn't born a good soccer player."

Ives joined the Ballard varsity team her freshman year, and Ballard made the playoffs. It was the first time the Beavers had done that in KingCo 4A, she said.

That same year, she was named Seattle Times Player of the Week and was featured in the Sports Illustrated "Faces in the Crowd" feature for scoring eight goals in a three-game week.

This season, Ives was once again named Seattle Times Player of the Week.

Ives said she enjoys the success, but doesn't like to focus on it during the season because of the pressure it creates for her.

"It feels really good, but I can't think about it too much or I'll get nervous and fail to score," she said.

Ives said she doesn't like the attention that comes with her accomplishments because of the pressure created and because she feels that the rest of the team deserves recognition as well.

"I know that it's not just me," she said. "It's other people, too."

The chemistry between the players is what is really responsible for this season's victories, she said.

The skills on the team are good, but the teamwork is what stands out, Ives said.

Ives is in a unique position to take advantage of that team chemistry - her sister, senior Lauren Ives, is a captain on the team.

"We have a connection when we play because we practice together so much," Ives said.

They know were each other will be and where they will place the ball at any given moment, she said.

Ives said she hopes to play soccer in college and has narrowed down her options to a few schools, but she is being quiet on the specifics.

To keep her skills up, Ives plays league soccer year round and is a part of the Olympic Developmental Program in which the top players in Washington compete against the top players of other states.

Ives said she maintains an interest in soccer because it's fun and great exercise, but also because it feeds her intense competitiveness.

That competitiveness was on display in a game against Bothell High School in early October, during which Ives fought hard for her team, even during breaks in the action, when she was passionately arguing seemingly every call the referees made against Ballard.

Ives said the team is hoping to make the playoffs again this season, after missing them last year, and have a good chance to do it.

The Beavers have three games remaining in the regular season, two of which are against teams with losing records. And, three of which are against teams that don't have Sara Ives.

Michael Harthorne may be reached at 783.1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com