Piland’s 2nd consecutive hat trick puts Spartans back in state semis
Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 21, 2026
The No. 1-seeded Bainbridge Spartans (21-0) are headed back to the 2A state semifinals in boys soccer after Cruz Piland earned his second consecutive hat trick en route to a 5-0 home quarterfinal win May 22 against the No. 8-seeded Nathan Hale Raiders (16-3-2).
The undefeated Spartans will face the winner of No. 4 seed Fife and No. 12 seed Sehome in the state semifinals at 3 p.m. May 29 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. Bainbridge was in a similar position last year as the No. 1 seed, but lost its last two matches against North Kitsap and Sehome to finish fourth.
Piland eclipsed 100 career goals in the match against Nathan Hale. “I think I’ve been on the sideline for probably 55 of them over the last two years, so it’s been awesome to watch,” Spartan head coach Mark Nowak said.
It was the last game at Memorial Field for Bainbridge’s seniors.
“I mean, it’s a little sad, but I think left my mark on this field,” Piland said.
Spartan Will Treverton put in the first goal of the match for Bainbridge, giving them an early 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, Piland tallied his 100th career goal off an up-close-and-personal opportunity, warranting a celebration from his teammates and giving Bainbridge a 2-0 lead.
Piland added his 101st career goal with 13 minutes remaining in the first half off a fastbreak score with an assist from Blake Moyer.
Nathan Hale only tallied one additional shot on goal before half, cementing a strong outing from the Spartans early in the match.
Piland cemented his second consecutive hat trick with his 102nd career goal with 25 minutes remaining in the second half.
“I think Cruz does such a good job of moving around on the field to find space where he can create for himself, but at the same time create space for his teammates,” Nowak said.
First round win
The Spartans beat the No. 16-seeded East Valley Knights (10-7-2) 6-1 at home May 20 in the first round of the 2A state tournament behind a hat trick from Piland.
Piland almost put the first score of the match in off with a close shot opportunity, but the ball barely missed the goalpost, keeping the game locked at zero. Nonetheless, Bainbridge, like they have been all season, were the aggressors, keeping the ball in East Valley territory and keeping Spartan goalkeeper Cooper Harrington’s workload light.
Treverton earned a corner kick, the second of the match for Bainbridge, but couldn’t convert the opportunity into a score. Piland earned a penalty kick, but hooked the shot a little too far to the left, keeping the match scoreless.
Piland eventually broke the dry spell for the Spartans, driving in the first goal of the match off a fastbreak opportunity with 12 minutes to go in the first half. He quickly followed that up with another goal.
With 20 minutes remaining in the match, Piland earned his hat trick with another up-close goal, seemingly cementing a Spartan victory. The Knights put in a late goal, negating a potential shutout for the Spartans.
