Bainbridge Explodes in Second Half, Bellevue Can't Last

I always love the ride over to Bainbridge when the weather is good- now.  When I coached at Prep, we dreaded the ferry, like the mechanical signal of impending doom.  The Spartans now boast an amazing turf field, and the ferry is full of lax friends.  Most other teams fear the trip to Bainbridge as well, especially in recent history. Tonight Bellevue faces Bainbridge minus their top three goalies.  Freshman Austin Boyd stands between the pipes, the starting Freshman goalie, with a daunting task.  I imagine his ferry ride wasn’t far off my remembrances.  If Bellevue is able to topple Bainbridge after their Issaquah loss earlier this week.

Just as we sit down to watch, Kyle Mutzel, finds Dom Shiro dancing on the crease, and Bellevue will get on the board first at 10:11 in the first. McDermott takes the next face, and sets up the first Bainbridge possession. Kyle Mutzel face dodges past two defenders winding up solo with Stevenson, and scores number two, all alone as Bellevue starts a rhythm early in the first leading 2-0.

Stevenson makes a great clear fighting off Mutzel at 4:30, to get the ball to Snow’s stick.  He doesn’t hesitate ripping his shot past Boyd for a goal at 4:28.  Bainbridge is struggling to get or maintain possession time, letting Bellevue retain the ball for much of the first quarter.  Bainbridge has turned the ball over on possession three times in the first quarter alone.  Stevenson has done a great job to keep Bainbridge close.  Inside the last two minutes, Bellevue calls time-out, but cannot capitalize.  Stevenson clears it, Nguyen takes an alley dodge and connects to Ostenson up top, who fires a smoldering rocket to the top right corner with 17 seconds left.  Tying it up, Bellevue and Bainbridge are knotted at 2 goals.

Nordstrom has been relatively silent, though Bellevue has been threatening early in the second quarter. Nordstrom gets a pass from Mutzel, and dodges to the Island and fires another past Stevenson, to lead 3-2 with 9:30 left in the first half.  Bainbridge continues to struggle with possession, turning it over to Bellevue with the help of keeper Boyd, who is doing a great job between the pipes.  BI loses Omri on the crease, and Bellevue adds another leading 4-2 in the second.  On the next face-off, Cam parker shoots from 15 outside and finds net at 4:37 in the half, Deery-Schmidt splits, and gets his hands free to bound one in at 4:10, Bainbridge slowly getting the engine going.  The score 5-4 as Nordstrom scores his second of the night.  Mutzel moves it to Brett Manella in transition, and he slips one past Stevenson inside for number 6 to make it 6-4 at 3:10, on pace for a 20 goal game, with defense not as much a factor.  Bainbridge will need more output from their seniors, as the game stays close, while Bellevue’s defense will have to protect their young net minder. Bellevue takes their lead into the half.  The story of the first half for Bainbridge has been mental mistakes.  Bellevue has executed well both offensively, and defensively, will they be able to hold back the Spartans in the second half?

At 11:09, Sam Snow wraps the cage, and sends a low bouncer through Boyd’s 5-hole to chip the leade 6-5.  Bainbridge takes the next possession, and Alex Crane moves inside to score a bouncer to tie it up at 10 minutes, the score 6-6. Bainbridge has shifted the momentum, winning the next face-off and trusting Nguyen to handle the ball up top.  He dodges two, loses the ball, then comes out of the pile with a finish assassination style on Boyd to take the lead with 8 minutes in the third.  Bainbridge has scored three unanswered, and has regained their composure.  Bellevue gets their first possession of the third quarter with EMO, but turns over the possession on shot.  Five minutes of scoreless Lacrosse, the story of the game is Boyd.  The freshman is standing on his head.  That is, until Wagner takes his man behind the cage, and ducks his man to pop a finish in Boyd’s face.  Boyd makes another phenomenal save, trying to stem the momentum.  Crane turns a save from Stevenson, into a coast to coast open shot on defenseless Boyd.  On the next face off, with under a minute left in the third, Ross Cobb dodges down the alley to the island and hammers a bouncer in, putting up the 6th goal of the quarter, unanswered for the Spartans. Bainbridge has exploded to a 10-6 lead; Bellevue has been silent since before halftime.
 

20 seconds into the fourth quarter, Bainbridge scores their 7th unanswered goal at the hands of Deery-schmidt.  Bellevue has been absent since the second quarter on the scoreboard, and as the pace picks up in the fourth quarter, Bellevue is forced to get more aggressive to make up a 5 point differential.  BI takes advantage of transition, threatening from the wing before Ostenson, camped on the crease, buckets number twelve to finish a low to low worm burner on the doorstep.  Bainbridge leads 12-7 with 5 remaining.  Cam Parker finds a seam and twists one inside past Boyd at three minutes nailing shut the game with a 6-goal lead at 3 minutes.  Bainbridge’s second half explosion showed the dynamic nature of the Islander’s play.  Bellevue just couldn’t play 48 minutes solid to keep up, but a very strong first half and a shout out to freshman Austin Boyd for a tremendous game.

Final Score 13-7

BI 2 2 6 3
BLV 2 4 0 1
 

Top Scorers: Bellevue Brett manella 2g, Kyle Mutzel 1g2a

Top Scorers: Bainbridge Sam Snow 2g1a, Crane 2g1a, Ostenson 2g, Deery-schmidt 2g, Parker 2g

More Pics at SoundLacrosse.smugmug.com