HAMPTON — When you watch a Bethel High School girls soccer game, you're likely to hear opposing players yelling, “Look at No. 7!”
That “No. 7” is Bethel junior Velma Tihic, who can barely guard despite her opponent's best efforts.
On Thursday afternoon, Tihic scored his 50th and 51st goals of the season, helping the Bruins defeat Hampton 2-1. But her reaction shows that those goals were expected and that was the norm.
“Of course I'm happy,” Tihich said. “I'm grateful for this opportunity.”
Based on statistics available on MaxPreps, Tihic's 51 goals this year reported to The Pilot are the most of any Virginia player. She scored 46 goals last year, ranking third in the state in scoring, according to MaxPreps.
“That's amazing. How many people have scored 50 goals in one season?” Bethel head coach William Nicoletti said. “She's put up 127 or something like that in the three seasons she's been here. I think that's amazing.”
In fact, in his three years at Bethel, Tihic scored 127 goals, which would rank him 14th on the Virginia High School League's career goals list. Tihic attributes her success not only to her teammates, but also to being in the right position.
“The team helping me, the flow of the game, it's all about hard work, dedication and consistency,” Tihic said.
Thursday's game was just the latest in a string of games in which Tihic has scored multiple times. She has scored at least one goal in 13 games this season and multiple goals in 11 games.
Tihic has scored at least a hat trick (three goals per game) in eight contests this season, and has scored double hat tricks on four different occasions.
In addition to that, Tihic has scored seven goals in one game on two separate occasions this season. Her career high is eight goals per game, which she scored against Hampton as a freshman. This puts her tied for second place in the VHSL record book.
“Velma knows this game very well,” Nicoletti said. “She knows the game well, she’s very aware of what’s going on, she puts herself in positions to score and makes those runs. Whatever works for her, we try to get her to play, and she runs for them. She does a great job for us.”
Tihich has found a way to outdo himself every year in high school. She scored 30 goals her freshman year, which she broke the previous Bethel school record. Last season, her second year, she broke her own record with 46 goals. Now she still has a playoff game left and she's over the 50 mark. Other than her scoring, she said her speed is what she's most proud of.
“I feel like I've improved in all areas as a player overall,” Tihic said. “The passing aspect, the shooting aspect… overall.”
Tihic said he modeled his game and work ethic after soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo. She wears the same jersey number as Ronaldo, and after scoring her goal, she can be seen doing Ronaldo's signature goal celebration.
Bethel finished the regular season with a 10-5-1 record thanks to Thursday's win. Tihic is already looking ahead and believes the Bruins will be a team to watch in the future.
“All I'm saying is be careful next year,” Tihic said.
Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com
