Spartan goalkeeper reflects on journey to winning state title

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026

The Bainbridge Spartans boys soccer team secured its second state championship in program history with a 2-1 win over Squalicum in the 2A state title match May 30.

Goalkeeper Cooper Harrington, who recently graduated, tallied 11 shutouts on the season while helping the Spartans reach a perfect 23-0 record. In the postseason alone, Harrington earned one shutout but helped hold Bainbridge’s opponents to one goal scored in the remaining six postseason matches. In the state championship, Harrington tallied three shootout stops, earning him tournament MVP honors and Bainbridge’s first state title win since 2013.

“I was just trying to help, like, my center backs and outside backs the most [during the state title match],” Harrington said. “If they’re doing their jobs, I don’t really have to do anything.”

For Harrington, it’s more of a mental game than a physical game. In the month of May, Harrington spent time after every practice practicing penalty kick saves. He had to keep himself ‘well-prepared’ and focused during the championship match, with Squalicum putting a number of shots on him within the last three minutes of the match.

“I could go the whole game without doing anything, and at the very end I have to make this save to keep my team ahead, and I feel like that was probably what actually happened around very close to the end,” Harrington said.

Going into the season, Harrington said the expectation was to make a run at the state title. That first match against Woodinville (reigning 4A state champs) is what convinced Harrington that the group of guys Bainbridge had was going to live up to the standard Bainbridge had for itself.

“This season we had a really good group of guys where I think it was just everybody’s standard that we would make the state tournament and have that deep run, so I think that the ambition and just that drive to win…. it was just like, okay, this is the group of guys that’s gonna be here for everything,” Harrington said.

Soccer isn’t Harrington’s only sport. He has been competitively skiing for the last 10 years plus, joining the Crystal Mountain Alpine Club at 7-years-old and qualifying for the Western Regional Championships the last four years, with plans next year to train in Canada before attending St. Olaf College in Minnesota.