Bainbridge edges NK 1-0 in battle of top two Olympic League teams

By Luke Caputo • October 3, 2025 1:30 am

In a battle for first place in the Olympic League, the Bainbridge Spartans (7-1) narrowly prevailed 1-0 at home Oct. 2 against rival North Kitsap (7-2) in a low-scoring, defensive affair.

Both teams entered the matchup undefeated in league play. Bainbridge sits atop the OL at 7-0 with NK a game back at 6-1. The win marked the Spartans’ sixth shutout of the season

“We’ve been working a lot on our defensive shape and on our team defense, especially,” Bainbridge coach Katie Drovdahl said. “I was excited to see the girls step up defensively.”

Defense proved to be the strong suit for both squads after an early shot on goal attempt from Spartan senior Audrey Camacho, with neither squad allowing another shot on goal for the next ten minutes of play.

Spartan Magdalena Rufo-Hill earned a breakaway opportunity with 18 minutes remaining in the first half, but was stymied by NK sophomore forward Addy Jueco and company, keeping the match deadlocked at zero.

NK Viking Lecy Russell managed to drive the ball downfield into Bainbridge territory, but the Spartan defense was able to stop Russell from landing a shot on goal. Nonetheless, Spartan Inez Gerbeck scored the first and only goal of the game for either squad on a putback attempt, giving the Spartans the lead at 1-0 with 15 minutes remaining in the half.

“[At halftime], coach said we really needed to bring out more energy,” Rufo-Hill said. “I think we did that with standing our ground and not letting them win the ball.”

In the second half, Spartan Eliza Jurcak landed the first shot on goal attempt for either squad with 25 minutes remaining in the game, but couldn’t get it to find the back of the net.

Bainbridge controlled the ball for much of the second half, not letting NK get the ball out of their own territory. The Vikings finally began to get the ball into Spartan territory consistently, but couldn’t generate any scoring opportunities, ultimately sealing the victory for the Spartans.

“It was a hard-fought match,” North Kitsap coach Travis Rider said. “I thought we definitely applied a good amount of pressure throughout it.”