The No. 1 seed Bainbridge Spartans boys soccer team has been a dominant force all season, and they proved that once again by beating No. 3 seed North Kitsap 4-2 for the district championship May 17 at Olympic High School, thanks to a second-half surge.
The Spartans previously beat Franklin Pierce 2-1 in the semifinals, and NK beat Fife 2-1 in the semifinals. The Vikings still advance to state despite the championship loss.
“This is the first time (during) an away game we were really able to come here and approach adversity in the right way,” Bainbridge assistant coach Colby Juarez said.
NK controlled the tempo of the match early on. Viking Harper Sabari punched in a goal, giving NK a 1-0 lead. The Viking defense stood strong in spite of many Spartan forays into NK territory, defending multiple shots on goal and maintaining their lead.
Bainbridge also had many attempts into NK territory, but could not execute on their opportunities with the Viking defense standing strong throughout the first half.
The last ten minutes of the first half featured many turnovers and offsides from both sides until Viking Aaron Lopez put in another goal, giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead.
Spartan Magnus Hauge scored a goal off an NK penalty toward halftime, making the score 2-1.
“Guys adapted really well to what we wanted to do defensively, and in the second half, we just couldn’t control the ball,” NK coach Greg St. Peter said.
Neither team could get much of anything going for the first ten minutes of the second half. But then Hauge was able to punch in another goal at the 30:12 mark, tying the match back up at two apiece.
Bainbridge followed that up with another goal from midfielder Blake Moyer, allowing Bainbridge to take the lead for the first time.
Viking goalkeeper Jace Prichard landed a critical stop with 14 minutes remaining in the match, preventing Bainbridge from adding to their lead.
Spartan Cruz Piland scored a goal off a penalty kick with six minutes remaining, leaving little time for NK to attempt to mount a comeback.
“We’re coming back with a strong foot to be able to come back and beat them (NK) again,” Spartan midfielder Jaco Chalk said.
In other Kitsap soccer action, No. 12 seed Bremerton was eliminated by No. 8 seed Sequim in a loser-out match May 15.
Central Kitsap qualified for state in 3A by going 2-1 in districts. The No. 7 seed Cougars upset No. 2 seed Auburn Mountainview 2-1 and then beat No. 3 seed Bellermine 1-0 before falling in the district title match to No. 5 seed Heritage 3-1.
In 1A, No. 3 seed Klahowya qualified for state by beating No. 5 seed Seattle Christian 1-0 in a loser-out match May 15.
