Mercer Island vs. Bainbridge Island Final Score 8-7 MI
Garret Lund awakens the crowd as he scores the first goal in the Island War with 5:43 left on the clock and the Island home crowd is absolutely deafening in the 1-0 game. Spartans get possession and go to work on Schwartz, who makes a nasty stick save one on one. After a one minute penalty on MI, Brazg steals and possesses the ball on BI's back court trying to kill the penalty.The BI defense is holding strong against Mercers corners who are driving shots on the cage. Both Ellis and Wright have been denied, but MI has maintained possession for most of the rest of the quarter. MI will be man-up for 30 of the remaining 55 seconds, and after two hurried shots, we are tied 1-1. The energy here is UNREAL. BI starts off the 2nd quarter with possession, and goes to work against Mercer from behind, but turns the ball over on a shot. Mercer clears it but steps out and gives it back for another couple minutes of BI possession. Driving from behind is BI, Mercer is going hard on the wings and from behind with D and getting the ball. This time, they clear it up, work hard for a shot as Stevenson makes a great save. BI gets it back and begins firing shot after shot. Time out BI as they reset the offense. Schwartz makes a couple more great saves, and gets the ball down to his offense courtesy of Kevin Mahony. After rebounding their own shot, BI gets possession from Mercer and works on the clear, but can't get it out of the defensive half. Mercer can't do anything with the possession, and gives it back. Bryan Gilbreath who clears it for BI, dodges and shoots on a sick score coast to coast scoring number 2 for BI with 3:24 remaining. Mercer drops the face, and gets the ball back on an errant pass, calling a time out with 2:11 left on the clock. Bainbridge has possessed the ball for most of the second period. BI loses possesion with just 1:18 left in the half, and gives a push to BI, who calls a time out with 30 seconds left in the half. Mercer gets the ball back, and immediately calls time out with just 27 seconds remaining in the half. Mercer gets held up, and cannot convert. We go into halftime, BI leading 2-1. BI has outshot Mercer Island 20 to 10, but about even ground balls at 16. Bainbridge comes out getting possession, and works the the ball around when Sean Forsyth takes the ball to the cage and scores with 10:10 left in the third. Bainbridge is dominating possession time and the momentum. With 6:35 left in the quarter, Dylan Masi wraps the cage solo for BI's fourth. Changing possession back and forth, Mercer finally gets a crack at the ball with 5:01 Greg Mahony goes to the cooker unassisted, and scores Mercer's second. After a turn over on the face, Mercer mounts a comeback offensive scoring their third with 4:50 left on the clock in the third as Kevin Mahoiny has a ringer and we are 4-3 BI. Bainbridge regains possession, and again goes to work hard from behind the cage. Two good shots on the corner drives turns the ball over outside the net and moves the ball back to BI's defensive end as Taylor Dawson connects with Kevin Mahony, and we are tied 4-4 with 2:17 remaining in the third! Mercer gets possession and fires several shots from Frankel, and from Mahony across the crease. Kevin Mahony fires a laser through the top right corner with four seconds remaining, and Mercer will go into the fourth quarter up 5-4. Mercer gets possession back after a BI break off the face, and shoots wide, as the defense goes to work. Wiesner snags one and turns a fast break getting to Schmitz who has to come out of the cage to stop it as he sends it the other way. After another change of possession, just about every BI player had a shot at wettack, and when two players fall down he patiently feeds, Dawson who scores number six with 8:26 remaining in the fourth. Seconds later on the face off, Franklin hits Mahony who drives and fires a cannonball past Stevenson at 9:03 and Mercer leads by three. The score is 7-4 Mercer. Bainbridge answers back in one of the oldest rivalries in Lacrosse with 5:54 remaining after working the ball behind, BI gets it in the hands of Masi who dodges and finds Alilima on the doorstep and we are 7-5. Mercer gets the ball, works for a shot, and fires another to score 7-6, and turns the ball over on technical at the face. The crowd is chanting Masi and BI is threatening firing the last six shots. Just then, Mercer gets a steal, and somehow, Greg Mahony finds himself all alone on the way to the cage, and dunks on the doorstep making the score 8-6 with 3:39 on the game clock Delius answers back with 2:54 left making the score 8-7. Miraculously, Stevenson stops a one on one and MI gets it back on a push. With 2 minutes left, MI leads 8-7. Time out Mercer Island. Greg Mahony works to maintain possession behind the cage, but turns it over after 30 seconds. Now, BI will return Masi's stick check on Greg Mahony, and possibly give up his goals if illegal. His stick is legal and now we go back with Mercer on defense as Schwartz makes an incredible save sending Kevin Mahony down the field to touch the box and get the Islanders their final time out with 50 seconds. If Mercer holds on to the ball, they may be in business. Mahony cannot possess as Bryan Gilbreath strips him a second time, and Bainbridge gets a one minute trip called as we enter the last minute of play. If mercer wins this, it will be because of a defensive final stand. Bainbridge throws it away, and gets an offsides, so Mercer will have it. Failure to advance, and BI will have the ball but they can't get a shot off before time expires and Mercer wins! 8-7 final.
