2026 US Open Cup Qualifying Round 2: Sharktopus FC wins rainy replay with Bellevue Athletic

Sharktopus FC approached Tuesday night’s 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifier with renewed excitement. The Second Round game at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Wash. Was against Bellevue Athletic FC felt all too familiar.

When the teams met 16 days ago, Sharktopus FC lost 4-3 in extra time in what would have been their chance at redemption against their pesky Eastside foe (Bellevue had beaten them 3-0 in the 2024 Fall UPSL Washington Playoff Finals last December). But after discovering that the referee for the Oct. 12 qualifier had recently played for Bellevue Athletic, a protest was filed and the United States Soccer Federation ordered a replay.

On Tuesday night, on a typically rainy night in the Pacific Northwest, Sharktopus finally earned that redemption with a 5-0 win. The team from Seattle Recreational Adult Team Soccer (SRATS) were powered by a brace from Kwame Appiah, and another by Gabe Kellum. They also received a strong performance in goal by Jimmy Forde who made a number of stops on the night, most notably a second half penalty kick save.

“Beyond proud of the Sharks for stepping up under pressure and delivering a classy performance both on and off the field,” said player/manager Leo Ohannesian. “It feels like every Open Cup match we play is in the pouring rain and cold, and tonight was no different. We had a shaky start, but once the legs got warm, we began combining well and making smart plays against a very motivated opponent.”

With the win, Sharktopus FC advances to the Third Round of qualifying where they will play USL League Two power Ballard FC on Saturday at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.

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The rain starts pouring down as the match kicked off. Bellevue Athletic started with energy and focus, pinning the ball into Sharktopus’ final third within the first two minutes. Nothing is more emblematic of the duress Bellevue put on the home side.

In the 4th minute, Sharktopus captain Justin Soto made a crunching late tackle 10 yards outside of his box, with it taking about 80 seconds to restart play. The ensuing shot was flared wide, as a weakness in Bellevue’s press began to show early in the game.

Unlike the Oct. 12 match, it took nearly 30 minutes for the scoring to open up. Sharktopus pressed Bellevue to win the ball back near the left side touchline. Then, the ball was sent to Nuha Ceesay’s feet who whipped in a cross toward the far post where it found Peder Bakken’s head and gave the hosts an early 1-0 lead in the 29^th minute.

As halftime approached, the rain continued to fall in Redmond. In the 43rd minute, Bellevue were unable to clear their lines effectively allowing Sharktopus’ Kwame Appiah to jump at the opportunity. The former Love Is Blind reality show contestant stripped the unsettled ball from the Bellevue midfielder’s feet, created a yard of space, and fired a shot past Bellevue goalkeeper Matt Janke. The half closed with a 2-0 advantage to Sharktopus.

When Will Niccolls, the head referee for the match, blew the whistle to start the second half, it was clear that Bellevue knew they had a hill to climb. A first half of near-misses and should-haves ignited the Bellevue players into dominating control of the match.

Bellevue right back Eyal Schetman found a backdoor run from a quick succession of passes in the box only to have his legs taken out from Sharktopus’ Forde in net. Niccolls blew his whistle again, this time for a penalty kick in the 51^st minute.

Bellevue’s Jacen Stein stepped up to take the penalty. Unlike their Oct. 12 meeting where Stein slotted home the awarded kick from the spot, Forde guessed correctly and dove to his left to make the save to keep the clean sheet intact.

As the hour mark ticked past, signs of fatigue become more and more apparent. At the 64-minute mark, Bellevue Athletic swung the ball around their back line to find a seam forward. Bellevue’s Liam Raney squared the ball right to left, but Sharktopus’ Appiah, just like his first goal, jumped the pass to get clear through on goal. Appiah’s options become singular, a charging Janke forced Appiah to continue his run around the goalkeeper, who calmly slotted it home to make it 3-0.

Sharktopus did not look back.

With Bellevue pressing high to find a way back into the match, Sharktopus relieved some of the pressure by finding their targets on the break. Just 7 minutes later, in the 74th minute, a Sharktopus break was created from a failed clearance in the middle by Bellevue. Sharktopus’ Gabe Kellum grabbed his first goal of the night, receiving a through ball and dribbling past Janke to make it 4-0 and fizzling any hope for a Bellevue comeback.

Ball movement became much more direct and the pace of the match slowed down. Kellum would find his second goal of the night on a cross-field switch which he made a run into the Bellevue penalty area and poked it past Janke’s shoulder to seal the deal.

Sharktopus FC knew Tuesday night’s replay would be one of their toughest matches yet, but they remained steadfast in preparing and executing against Bellevue.

“We really just wanted to make sure we capitalized on opportunities, follow the game plan from the manager ahead of the game … execute from an individual level, winning our battles, but also (execute the coach’s game plan) as a team,” said Sharktopus captain Justin Soto. “(Bellevue Athletic FC are) a good side, very well-organized, they have great players,” he added.

 

Sharktopus has a post-game tradition where they award a “Hustle Suit” where the player who exibits the most hustle puts on a shark costume. With his two goals and one assist, Appiah donned the shark costume afterwards.

“Handing out the Hustle Suit after the game was tough because it was truly a team effort,” said Ohannesian. “Kwame led the charge with a masterclass performance. He was our spark plug all night with relentless pressure on their back line and an absolute monster strike to put us up 2-0, plus another goal and an assist.”

The player who makes the most “memorable play of the game” puts on an octopus suit and Tuesday night’s winner was goalkeeper Jimmy Forde.

“Jimmy took home the memorable play of the game for his huge PK save early in the second half,” said Ohannesian. “(If they would have scored) it could have shifted momentum, but instead it sealed our control of the match. Every player contributed, and it was the kind of night that showed who we are as a club: resilient, disciplined, and not afraid to have a little fun along the way.”