The Spartans fell 1-0 to top-ranked Kennedy Catholic in the first round of the 3A state tournament Tuesday.

Bainbridge played solid defense in the first half, but Kennedy Catholic scored the game-winning goal in the 48th minute.

“I think at that time the girls felt a little sense of urgency and didn’t quite play as team oriented as we could have, but still tried hard and just didn’t have a good opportunity,” coach Scott Druker said.

The Spartans (4-3-3 in the Metro, 14-6-3 overall), entered the playoffs as the third seed from the Metro Mountain division, and defeated Chief Sealth, Nathan Hale and Lakeside before losing to Holy Names in the Metro championship.

The team will graduate nine seniors, including midfielders Maddie Ginder and Hallie Swan.

“Hallie’s the type of person who doesn’t get a lot of the highlights, but she makes all the parts work together,” Druker said. “She controls the game, keeps it calm. She’s impacting every offensive play.”

The Spartans will also lose defenders Lauren Silvers and Haylee Baker.

“Very few girls are really aggressive like (Silvers) and like Haylee Baker, and have no fear going up for headers and challenging for balls all the time,” Druker said.

Two juniors are already showing leadership qualities going into next season, Druker said.

“Kendyl (Daniels) is going to be one of those keepers that we can count on to make those critical saves all the time,” Druker said. “When we need a big play, I think she can make that role.”

Druker sees midfielder Veronica Saez as a vocal leader next season.

“She will run until she falls down,” Druker said. “You can’t coach that, that’s just got to be inside the person. That’s the kind of leader I’d want.”