The proof, as they say, is in the bus ride.
Well, maybe “they” never say that, but the Spartans do.
In the midst of Monday’s first-round playoff match against Eastside Catholic, some of the Bainbridge High varsity boys soccer team players on the sidelines remembered the silent, somber bus ride home after they lost at this very point last year.
It might, they began to dread, happen again.
They clustered together and whispered among themselves nervously. They had every reason to fear, as BHS had been simply unable to surmount the Crusaders’ defenses throughout the back-and-forth match, scoring only one goal while also giving one up.
Then, after the final whistle left the war of attrition stalemated at 1-all, the Spartans met the Crusaders in overtime.
Twice.
Still tied 1-all two overtime bouts later, the game entered a pressure packed penalty kick showdown, which ultimately left the BHS squad up 5-4 and on their way to the second round of the playoffs against Metro newcomer Ballard High Wednesday afternoon.
Results were unavailable when the Review went to press.
The Spartans’ sole regular goal throughout the game was scored by Sam Casad.
The postseason was, Spartan Head Coach Ian McCallum said, the start of a whole new season for BHS, and the team was moving ahead with appropriate gusto.
“We wanted to keep everyone on the edge of their seat, I guess,” he laughed after the game’s frantic finale.
Overall, McCallum said, early injures had thrown off the BHS squad and left them slow to switch tactics, a weakness which the Crusaders had capitalized on brilliantly.
“Their goalkeeper was fantastic,” he said. “He made some good saves during the game, but the quality of our service and our shots weren’t as good as it was last week.”
Injures removed at least two key Spartan players — most memorably Gerrit Mahling’s crunching collision with Eastside’s goalie early on in the match — and threw a wrench in the Bainbridge machine and left the team searching for some new cogs, McCallum added.
“It didn’t go according to plan, with the injuries and stuff, but [I give] a lot of credit to Jake Prodinski,” he said of the JV player who stepped into the match. “He came in and was outstanding.”
McCallum also praised Casad for keeping the team in the game.
“This was the start of our new season and it’s a good way to start,” he said. “It’s an ugly win, but it’s an ugly win.”
The finalization of a lineup for the PK attempts was a critical moment for the team, McCallum said, and several Spartans, perhaps surprisingly, declined the opportunity.
“I have the utmost respect for the guys who said, ‘I don’t want to take one,’” the coach said. “That’s fine. That’s a good answer for me. Don’t say you’re OK to do it and not do it.”
McCallum said that the Ballard match on Wednesday would undoubtedly be “a tough game.”
“We’ll recover [Tuesday] and we’ll see,” he said. “We got to watch some of Ballard today. They’re a good team.”
The injuries and minor roster changes from Monday’s match left things up in the air immediately following the victory and McCallum said that the team’s game plan was in the works, at best.
“Until we know what everyone’s status is there really is no game plan,” he admitted. “We just got to play good soccer. If we play good soccer, then things take care of themselves.”
