Bainbridge goes extra time to win district title
· Yahoo Sports
You couldn’t have scripted it any better.
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Bainbridge boys soccer (19-0) played a near-flawless match against the Fife Trojans (16-3-1), aside from conceding a goal in the opening 10 minutes. After Bainbridge midfielder Will Treverton equalized to make it 1-1, neither side found the back of the net over the final 40 minutes of regulation and overtime.
What better way to decide a district championship than penalty kicks? The Spartans clinched the Class 2A West Central District boys soccer championship, defeating the Trojans 2-1 in a shootout at Bainbridge High School on Saturday, May 16.
Treverton buried Bainbridge’s fourth penalty into the right side of the net, and senior goalkeeper Cooper Harrington came up with the decisive save, diving to his left to secure the district title.
“It’s just magical,” Spartans second-year coach Mark Nowak said of Harrington’s save. “We had full and utter faith in him. … Cooper’s been a fearless leader for us all season.”
The victory capped off a perfect regular and district season heading into state and snapped Fife’s 15-game winning streak. It also likely secured Bainbridge the No. 1 seed entering the state tournament.
“Nineteen wins in a row, I’d like to think it’s a pretty special run,” Nowak said. “For us to come out and continue to get results shows the grit that the group has. It takes grit to make special runs.”
The Spartans had a busy week leading into their second consecutive district championship. Bainbridge defeated Washington 9-1 on Tuesday, May 12, and Franklin Pierce 2-1 on Thursday, May 14, to set up the title clash with the Trojans.
But Bainbridge was forced to chase the match after conceding an early goal. Harrington misjudged a long-range shot attempt, and Fife capitalized from roughly 35 yards out.
Treverton’s equalizer minutes later shifted the match into a defensive battle, with both sides struggling at times to maintain possession and dictate the tempo before extra time.
“Our assistant coach Kolby (Juarez) said, ‘Hey, it’s going to be about who minimizes mistakes and who capitalizes on the other team’s,’” Nowak said. “As you see, 0-0 in the second half and through golden goal, not a lot of mistakes after that.”
The Spartans controlled possession throughout overtime. The teams played two five-minute extra-time periods without a goal, forcing the match into penalties.
Still, Bainbridge created several dangerous chances that narrowly missed the net. With 90 seconds left in the second overtime period, Treverton split two defenders and delivered a cross from the left side, but Bainbridge couldn’t get a clean finish as the ball rolled just wide of the post.
So, the district title came down to penalty kicks.
Fife sailed its opening attempt wide left.
Bainbridge converted.
After both teams buried their next two penalties, Treverton delivered the go-ahead strike, and Harrington sealed the match with the final save.
The senior goalkeeper sprinted toward the right corner of the field, where he was mobbed by teammates moments after the stop.
“I don’t even remember getting up after that last save,” Harrington joked. “It was a lot of fun.”
Last year, the Spartans’ bid for a championship ended in penalty kicks against its rival, the North Kitsap Vikings, 2-1 in the state tournament semifinals. Bainbridge finished fourth in the state and will look to avenge that disappointment with another championship opportunity this spring.
“There’s always a target on your back when you’re 19-0,” Harrington said. “But I think we know that and we can deal with that.”
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bainbridge soccer wins West Central District title