One goal can make a dramatic difference in a soccer game, especially when it’s the only one scored.

The Bainbridge High varsity boys soccer team scored a 1-0 shutout win over the visitors from Ingraham High Friday, April 24, with a single decisive goal scored late in the second half by rising frosh Spartan star Mario Vukic.

The win was the Spartans’ seventh shutout of the season and secured for them the second-place spot in the Metro’s Sound Division.

The BHS squad has an overall season record of 8-1-3 (7-1-3 in league play). The top team, Garfield, has a league record of 8-2-1.

Despite the game’s sparse presence on the scoreboard for the majority of the contest, it is actually the team’s endgame that needs the most work, several Spartan players agreed Friday.

“I knew we had what it took to score the goal, it’s just [that] we have problems with finishing,” Vukic said. “We get all these opportunities and we can’t just put it in the back of the net, but I knew we were capable.”

Vukic added that though the team had been getting nervous at the half, staring down what could easily have ended up as yet another tie, he never doubted their skills.

“If I’m on a breakaway, then I’m confident that I can score, and [it’s] the same with our other forwards,” he said. “We just had to get that one in and we’d have momentum.”

Cal Barash-David, who leads the BHS team in assists this season, said that Ingraham was a deceptively tough opponent.

“I think they’re real hard workers. They work really hard midfield and they’re a way better team than their record shows,” he said.

Spartan Head Coach Ian McCallum praised the team for their determination throughout the back-and-forth match.

“I think that, what we’ve said before, every game’s going to be a tough game here,” he said. “I mean, Rainier Beach beats Blanchet [Thursday] night 2-1? Unless you’re completely focused, you’re going to give up goals or you’re going to miss opportunities.

“I think in the first half we were trying to be too complicated,” he added. “In the second half, again, we tried to simplify a little more.”

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Spartans found late in the game, McCallum said, was not something they started doing right but instead something Ingraham started doing wrong.

“They changed their game plan a little bit, which gave us a little more space behind our defense,” he explained. “Which, I don’t know why they did — but I’m thankful.”

He was also grateful, he said, for the sole goal the Spartans were able to sneak through.

McCallum said that Vukic, who had been making his presence known to coaches and fans throughout the season with continual quality performances, was a young player to keep an eye on.

“[He] started on JV and he’s come in and he’s exciting to watch when he’s on the ball,” McCallum said. “He’s entertaining. The guys love playing with him.”

Off the field, McCallum said, Vukic is well-liked as well.

“He’s a freshman, so he’s a little quieter, but he gets on well with everyone,” he said, adding that the freshman’s two older sisters had also been great Bainbridge soccer figures.

“They’ve just got a family history of good soccer,” he laughed.

With only four games left on the regular schedule, McCallum said, the Spartans are playing with an eye to the postseason.

“I’ve strained my vocal chords,” the coach chuckled — though, he admitted, that whether the injury had been sustained while yelling from the sidelines at the Spartans or yelling at home “at my own kids,” he was unsure.

Maybe it’s a bit of both.

“I don’t want to look too far forward,” McCallum added.

However, he added, the Spartans’ final home match of the regular season (Monday, May 4 against Garfield) is a key game as higher placement in the league bracket going into the postseason could make all the difference.

“Whoever ends [the] regular season in the first position is going to be in a better position,” he explained. “[If] you’re in second, you go to the other side of the bracket and you’re going to meet Lakeside sometime early, soon.”

McCallum said that Lakeside is a foe to be feared and one that the Spartans were hoping to meet later rather than sooner.

“We want to finish out the season strong and meet Lakeside in the final championship for the Metro, not in the semi-finals,” he said. “They’ve conceded two goals. They’re ranked number one in the state right now.”