TUKWILA – Two high schools - Juanita and Lake Washington separated by just about a ten-minute drive, faced-off in what was one of the most exciting Division II State Championships in recent history. A clutch fourth-quarter and the eventual game winning goal by Sasha Oelsner would crown the Lake Washington Kangs as the 2015 State Champions – with the comeback 8-7 win to knock off the Juanita Rebels.

The fireworks came quick in the first quarter, with Lake Washington jumping out to an early 3-0 lead to send the Kangs’ fan section jumping. Having put up 147 goals on the season, it looked as though the Lake Washington offense wouldn’t be stopped, but the Rebels would get on the board - scoring 2 to stop the bleeding and close the gap heading into the break.

In the second quarter, both teams seemed to settle down on their respective defensive sides, holding each other’s offenses to just 1 goal apiece. Juanita would strike first, taking advantage of a man-up opportunity. Mason Day would put a hard bouncer past the Kangs’ keeper from up top to ties things up. Less than a minute later, Lake Washington would strike back with a bouncer of their own. Senior Eli Singstad drove down the right alley to put the Kangs back up by 1 heading into the half.

The Rebels came out firing, scoring 3 unanswered goals to open up the third quarter. Just 20-seconds in, senior Jason McLean drew the flag on a drive through the heart of the Lake Washington defense to tie up the score. Then, minutes later, McLean went to work again, this time pushing a fast-break opportunity and sneaking one past the keeper to take the lead. Juanita wasn’t done with their scoring onslaught. AJ Peacocke scoped out the junior Nicholas Moon up top for a feed to a top-shelf lazer to extend the Rebels’ lead.

Heading into the fourth, the Rebels had a clear grasp on the momentum, but with 12 minutes still on the clock and a potent Lake Washington offense still on the field, everyone knew the excitement was just getting started. Early in the quarter, Quang Do would intercept Rebels’ keeper Brogan Bartch’s clear for a quick crease dump to shift the momentum, and then moments later, Sasha Oelsner would drive through the Juanita defense and sneak one past the keeper to tie the game up at 7 with a little over 8 minutes on the clock.

The next few minutes would include crucial time management, big hits and clutch saves by both keepers. A time out late in the quarter would allow both squads to wrap their heads around their sets. With a little over 3-minutes left, Lake Washington would work the ball around to find an open Sasha Oelsner on the wing for a top-shelf rip to send the Lake Washington sideline jumping, and more importantly, give the Kangs the 1-goal lead with just minutes to play. On the ensuing face-off, Lake Washington would win their biggest one of the year, running it behind the cage to capture the 2015 Washington State Division II Championship over Juanita!