Bainbridge Beats Mercer Island 5-2
Another wild night for Mercer Island and a great game of Lacrosse. I think Coach Visco said it didn't matter if Bainbridge won or lost this game, and I think Mercer wanted to dominate. Though a little cold, there was no sign of the hail that pelted Seattle earlier- but the rain had softened the turf in the Bainbridge stadium setting the playing field for another great match up.
Just like that, after one quarter of play, Bainbridge is up 1-0 over Mercer Island and one parent commented perhaps it should be 3-0 with the great saves that Schwartz had. With that, Mercer Island won the face-off and possessed the ball for a minute or two before a nice feed from behind is handled by A.J. Ellis and his shot is true; his goal ties the score 1-1. Bainbridge is moving the ball well, finding open guys playing smart possession Lacrosse. With 2:37 left in the first half, Masi pulls out his defensemen and drives from the right wing, firing into the net making the score 2-1. I have to say, Bainbridge is playing their best Lacrosse of the year so far, right now. At Halftime, Ground balls were 18 BI and 12 MI, shots were also in favor of BI 7-4 in the first half. The game was highly intense, and for these two opponents, it was quite a testament that only two penalties occurred before half, and they were off-sides flags. So, at halftime, we witnessed a three-streaker team run from the MI goal to the Bainbridge goal. I wonder if MI has a streaking team as well a Lacrosse team?
The second half starts with a possession for Mercer and trading possessions, Mercer gives BI a 1-minute Man-up opportunity when MI was penalized for playing good defense. It looks like the field is having a big effect on the Mercer players, slipping and sliding all over. Bainbridge converts on the man-up making the count 3-1, and is controlling the momentum in the third quarter. Schwartz, who made 9 saves on 14 shots stopped another inside one on one shot, only to be stripped by Masi on his ride. MI gets the ball back after a string of passes leaves the ball up top where Kevin Mahony grabs the ball and moves up field to work it behind. MI works the ball around to Greg Mahony who lets the howitzer do the talking getting past the BI net minder with a ripping shot.
The fourth quarter is super fast-paced. Bainbridge is playing much more confidently and moving the ball more maturely than any other game this year. Mercer seemed frustrated in their ability to score and possess the ball. Possession time, ground balls, and shots all favored Bainbridge. The fourth quarter was no different. Masi pulls his defensemen out, and beats Losh on his way to the goal for a hard to handle number goal and Masi's second on the night.
Wow, Junior captain James Galbreath grabs the ball on the face-off for Bainbridge and gets a quick shot on cage with no backup. Mercer clears the ball and moves the ball around in their offensive set. Bainbridge has done a good job of getting in front of Mahony's shot from up top all night. Several possessions end with no goal production on either side. Bainbridge gets the ball back after a nice double, and more possession time goes by for BI as they shoot and control the ball. With 3:26 on the clock, the story is Bainbridge and the talented cast of midfielders collectively playing outside themselves. Colegrove, Foster, Olson, and Masi helped control the tempo of the game with good smart ball movement.
With 3:06 left on the clock, MI calls a time-out with possession. The score is 4-2 Bainbridge and all watching this game are seeing another great high intensity game between two talented teams. After setting up an offensive play, MI cannot convert and turns the ball over to BI, who moves the ball up the field and feeds the crease with a hot pass that leaves the ball on the ground with all the traffic and defense swarming. Regaining possession, Bainbridge calls a time-out with 2:00 minutes to play. Mercer Island starts playing aggressive defense trying to get the ball back for their offense. With 1:46 left, they draw another foul for one minute. You could feel the collective sigh on the MI sidelines. Another possession trades hands with MI man-down and there is a flurry of players fighting for the ground ball. Max Olson comes up with the clutch ground ball, and draws another penalty from a frustrated MI trying to get the ball back. Thirty seconds delivers another possession transfer, and one man released from the box. Bainbridge puts together a string of four passes from the defensive part of the field, through Max Olson, down to Garrett Lund , and back to Masi sitting on the crease to finish the job point blank on Schwartz for a 5-2 tally with just five seconds on the clock. Bainbridge twins this super exciting game to watch, with great performances from their younger core of midfielders and solid team play. Bainbridge out-shot, picked up twice as many ground balls and out hustled a very talented Mercer Island. Mercer looked like they were unable to find their groove, and now coach O'Hearn will go to the board and begin his work. Stay tuned for some great pictures!
Bainbridge remains atop the Sound division with a 3-0 record and will face Garfield on Wednesday who is atop the Metro division with a 3-0 record. Garfield is untested against strong opponents, and Bainbridge just gathered tremendous momentum. Don't count Mercer Island out, the loss doesn't affect their division standing, and the road to the championship will still go through the Mountain division no doubt.
