Girls lacrossers dump North Kitsap, 17-2

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The contest was the first between the island powerhouse and emergent NK.

The Bainbridge varsity girls downed North Kitsap 17-2 on Monday, their first home game since winning the Western States Tournament over spring break.

It was the first-ever meeting with the North Kitsap team, last year’s B-league champions.

The Val Torrens-coached squad played as the Kitsap Lacrosse Club in 2004 and moved up this year, playing as North Kitsap in the A-league.

North Kitsap came out with energy and focus, and for the first half at least, rocked last year’s state champs. Bainbridge led by just 7-2 at the half.

“They had us on our heels,” Bainbridge coach Tami Tomilla said. “They have three scoring threats, so we had to decide who to shut down.”

The final score of 17-2 didn’t accurately reflect how close the game was.

“I love playing Bainbridge,” said Torrens, who fielded earnest accolades from parents and players of both teams after the game. “There are some things we need to work on due to switching levels. That’s the way it is.”

Spartan coach Tomilla noted improvement in the opponents’ program.

“They have talent on their team. They scored seven against Mercer Island,” Tomilla said. “I always tell our girls, ‘It’s not how you start a game, it’s how you finish.’ Second half, we didn’t allow them to score.”

The Spartans put their best defender, Amy Gulbranson, on North Kitsap’s Bria Phillips, the Viking’s best player.

On offense, they rode the hat tricks by Colbi Brawner and Alexandra Winnicki, who scored five with four assists for nine points in the win.

Eight different players scored, and Gulbranson got help from the whole team, as the Spartans forced 11 turnovers for the game. Spelling Gulbranson in her marking assignment was Christen Toepel, who had two goals, scooped two and controlled two draws.

Goalkeeper Dimitra Lotakis faced eights shots, making six saves. Gulbranson and Anne Kent led with four ground balls apiece.

Baumgartner, Brawner and Lotakis join NK’s Phillips representing the Northwestern Regional team and play in a womens tournament in Oregon this weekend to prepare for a national tournament Memorial Day weekend at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

Bainbridge (10-0, 6-0 league), who won 19-1 at Forest Ridge April 12 in their only other game since the break, will close out their season May 13 at North Kitsap (2-4-0), who host Holy Names tonight. The Spartans host Seattle Prep at 7:30 p.m. April 22, under the Friday night lights of Memorial Stadium.

Boys split games in tough week

The Bainbridge boys lacrosse team gained that much-valued ingredient, on-field maturity, in tough play last week.

The Spartans were thrown into the fire against the number one team, giving the Issaquah Eagles all they could handle before losing 8-7 in a barn-burner road loss last Tuesday.

That was followed the next night by always-tough Seattle Prep, whom Bainbridge edged in a 14-11 comeback win at home.

While the split results might not seem much on the surface, it was the tough, intelligent way the Spartans played that had spectators and coaches talking.

“The guys have picked it up a notch. They are doing what we ask of them,” coach Jack Visco said. “This is what we’re looking for. And they are a hard-working group.”

With eight players contributing to the scoring – four of them with three goals apiece – the Bainbridge (5-2) win over Prep keeps them in second place, two games behind Sound Conference leaders Garfield (6-0), their only other loss in Division I play.

The game at Issaquah started with the teams trading early goals, with clean hitting and crisp coordinated play from both sides.

Bainbridge led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter. David Vander Hoek, who scored the first goal, hooked up with Willy Delius and Dylan Masi for two goals apiece to lead 5-3 midway through.

But the Eagles came out determined, holding Bainbridge scoreless for nearly 15 minutes while scoring four straight goals of their own.

The Eagles scored two to knot the game at 5-5 in the third period, including a snappy behind-the-back-and-between-the-legs shot by Nick Tierney that curled low around his own ankles and past Spartan goalkeeper Elliot Thompson.

Thompson started his first game for Bainbridge and made nine outstanding saves in the middle periods to keep Bainbridge close. His play throughout the game was one of many important discoveries for coach Visco and the Spartans. He finished with 13 saves.

“Elliott played very smart and aggressive,” Visco said of the goalkeeper’s first start. “The whole team really played hard. I’m proud of them. This is the way I want them to play.”

When Vander Hoek fed Cody Bludorn up the middle to break the Spartan drought late in the third, Thompson came up big again, warding off Eagles captain Tierney twice in a one-minute span.

Tierney tried to duplicate his circus shot, but Thompson smothered it.

Ryan van den Meerendonk, starting the season on the injured list, scored his first goals of the season tying the game 7-7 off a feed by Delius with 2:15 remaining on the game clock.

Then the Eagles Craig Cornelius gave an assist to David Campi for the game-winning goal.

Bainbridge worked several plays but could not convert in the final minute, losing by one but finding a new level.

Early in the season, Visco gave credit to the team’s work ethic, and that has played a role in the development of their on-field presence.

On Wednesday against Seattle Prep, Bainbridge needed it.

The team found itself emotionally and physically drained from the pitched effort of the night before, but drew on experience and desire to come back from down five goals for the win.

After the junior varsity won handily, 14-4, and with their first varsity score coming easily 29 seconds into the game, Bainbridge let down a bit.

The Panthers worked their way to a 4-3 first-quarter lead and then a 9-5 halftime advantage.

Bainbridge was stuck in a 12-minute scoring drought, failing to find the net after Garrett Lund fed vander Hoek for the fifth goal after an own goal was kicked in for the fourth.

Vander Hoek led the team out of the huddle, their ears blistering from the pointed halftime instructions. He took a Bludorn feed, curling around the Panther’s cage and, hurling himself into the air, scored from close range in his trademark overhead-jump-hook shot that teammates call “Achilles.”

Delius, van den Meerendonk and Masi followed for a run of five unanswered Bainbridge scores and a 10-10 tie going into the final frame.

When Panther captain Andrew Parietti celebrated his fifth goal of the night to make it 11-10, it sealed the resolve of the Bainbridge team. Van den Meerendonk tied after Vander Hoek ran the length of the field for the feed.

Defender Zach Kornfeld jumped high to cut off another Panther pass, and fed down the left for the go-ahead goal by Clayton Knight.

Phillip Wears took a Masi pass on a great midfield play by Delius to go two up. Then Vander Hoek capped the scoring to seal the win as Bainbridge left the field exhausted but relieved.

“There was never any doubt,” Visco said. “We told them that after last night’s effort versus Issaquah, ‘don’t let this be a loss. Don’t do this. Don’t you dare let this one get away.’”

They didn’t. Bainbridge now holds onto second place behind Garfield, whom they meet at the end of the season.

After games this week at Nathan Hale and Curtis, the Spartans return home for action April 27 against Maple Valley. Looming large for the Spartans are matches at Mercer Island April 29, and at Lakeside May 3, before Bainbridge hosts vaunted Eastside May 6.

Surviving that tough schedule will position them for return matches at Seattle Prep May 9, and May 13 hosting the rubber match against Garfield, their only other loss in league play.