After only losing one match all season, it’s no surprise that the Bainbridge Spartans are 2A District 3 champions in girls soccer.
The No. 1 seed Spartans (19-1, 14-0 in the Olympic League) beat the Steilacoom Sentinels (14-2) 3-1 at home Nov. 8 to claim the title. Bainbridge beat the No. 5 seed Port Angeles Roughriders 1-0 the day before in the semifinals to advance to state. The Spartans’ only loss all season came to Central Kitsap 2-1 Sept. 9.
Bainbridge will be the No. 4 seed at state and will host No. 13 seed Selah Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in the opening round of the state tournament.
In the championship match, Steilacoom struck first with 35 minutes remaining in the first half, slipping a goal past Bainbridge goalkeeper Audrey Camacho to give the Sentinels a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans could not find a way to get the ball into Steilacoom territory consistently enough for them to generate any shots on goal until midfielder Isla Buffkin landed a corner kick. Nonetheless, Bainbridge couldn’t muster a goal, keeping them at a one-goal deficit with 21 minutes remaining in the half.
Spartan midfielder Abril Edwards landed an up-close-and-personal shot on goal with 20 minutes remaining, but couldn’t get the ball to find the back of the net. Bainbridge generated a barrage of shot-on-goal attempts after the 20-minute mark, and Spartan senior forward Taylor Mass put in a goal with 15 minutes remaining in the half to tie the match at one.
Bainbridge established control of the ball after the goal, but couldn’t add any more to their total, leaving the game tied at halftime.
“We were trying to focus more on keeping possession of the ball so that we could have control of the ball,” Bainbridge coach Katie Drovdahl said. “I just wanted them to have confidence in themselves.”
Spartan Inez Gerbeck tallied Bainbridge’s second goal on the match with 32 minutes remaining, giving the Spartans their first lead. The Bainbridge offense controlled the tempo of the match from there on out, not letting Steilacoom generate any shots on goal of their own.
Bainbridge continued to push the ball into Steilacoom territory with under 20 minutes remaining in the game, not taking their foot off the gas pedal. Spartan goalkeeper Sydney Tobler came in for an injured Camacho after she sustained a kick to the head on a Steilacoom scoring attempt.
The Sentinels managed to get the ball into Bainbridge territory with under 15 minutes remaining in the game, but couldn’t convert any goals or scoring attempts, largely due to the increased aggression from the Bainbridge defense in the second half.
Mass added another goal to her total, giving the Spartans a 3-1 lead and cementing the win.
“It was just two amazing corner kicks from Izzy Pujolar [that led to the two goals scored],” Mass said. “We’ve been running a lot of those in practice.”
Other scores
Also in 2A, No. 4 seed North Kitsap advanced to state by upsetting No. 2 seed Fife 3-2 in a loser-out match Nov. 8. The Vikings are the No. 12 seed at state and will go on the road to face No. 5 seed Anacortes Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
In 3A, No. 2 seed Central Kitsap lost the 3A District 3 championship to No. 1 seed Gig Harbor 1-0 Nov. 8, but the Cougars still advance to state. CK will be the No. 6 seed at state and will host No. 11 seed Holy Names Academy Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
In 1A, Klahowya will be the No. 10 seed at state and will play No. 7 seed University Prep at 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at Kings High School.
Spartan Taylor Mass possesses the ball with a Steilacoom defender right behind her in a 3-1 Bainbridge home win over the Steilacoom Sentinels Nov. 8 in the District 3 2A girls soccer championship.
