Issaquah vs Mercer Island - Friday May 2nd (8pm), Issquah High School. Just last Friday, Issaquah shocked the Washington lacrosse world with a possession-dominant upset of Bellevue. This Friday, the Mercer Island Islanders will travel to Issaquah to face the red-hot Eagles. This game will determine first place in the D-I KingCo conference. While Issaquah is the current first place team, they may be considered the underdog in this matchup. Can lightning strike twice? Will the Eagles soar, or will the Islanders bring them back down to earth?

Both teams have shown themselves to be solid all over the field. Each has a strong half field game, with Mercer Island playing a very strong offense off the dodge, while Issaquah works as hard as anyone off-ball. Defensively, both have good personnel and are anchored by strong goaltending. Issaquah has been strongest in games where they control possession through the face-off x, and keep the ball on their side of the field. Mercer Island, for their part, is a force in broken situations, but can certainly also play a settled game.

Two key match-ups tonight are at the face-off X and between the pipes. Issaquah junior Mikey Giannopolus and Mercer senior Devlin Conway should engage in an absolute battle at the x. As we previously mentioned, a possession advantage for Issaquah will give them a huge advantage, which Mercer Island should do everything they can to prevent. A tight game is probable tonight, so a lot will come down to which young man puts up the best performance in cage. Mercer Island senior Benji Rothenberg, committed to play his college ball at Gettysburg college, has been nothing but strong all year. For Issaquah, Jordan Dondoyano, only a sophomore, has consistently improved throughout the year, and played well in big games. Each save will be more important than the last if this game goes as expected.

Issaquah hasn't lost since the 11th of April against Austin High of Texas, while Mercer Island hasn't lost since April 12th, when they faced Wilton in Connecticut, though they did experience a double-overtime scare against Bothell-Inglemoor last week. Both teams are on a winning streak, and it should make for a great game. We hope to see you in Issaquah tonight!

Good luck to both teams!