Despite a lethargic start after a semifinal defeat to Central Kitsap a day earlier, Bellarmine Prep came back Saturday to capture third place in the 4A boys state soccer tournament with a 3-1 victory over Central Valley at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
“Last night was a very emotional game for us,” Bellarmine coach Joe Waters said of the Lions’ 1-0 loss. “We laid a lot on the line and we’ve got some big boys. Last night, at 10 o’clock, they were back at school in an ice bath trying to recover for today.
“For them, it took a while to get the big muscles moving. Once they got going, they did a traffic job, just like they have all season. They were fantastic.”
The Lions’ muscles came alive for the first of three goals in the 19th minute, when Ryan Quinn found himself at the right place at the right time, pocketing a header into the back of net from 6 yards out.
The goal was set up by a cross from the right wing that bounced around several times in the box before Quinn was able to get the clean finish.
After having a rough go of it in the semifinals, Michael Rector finally found his way onto the score sheet with a breakaway goal in the 37th minute.
After dashing past the defense of Central Valley (13-5), Rector calmly rounded keeper Alex Yoseph. Gathering the ball again, Rector struck a well-placed finish into the back of the net.
Bellarmine Prep (15-2-2) struck again two minutes later on a header to the back post by Joe Lovejoy.
Skyview 3, Central Kitsap 2: In it’s first championship- game appearance in the school’s 13-year history, the Storm knocked off the favored Cougars for the boys 4A title.
Leading the way for Skyview (16-4) was sophomore forward Carter Johnson, who scored goals in the 17th and 21st minutes.
After Miles Rodriguez-Nilsen got one back for Central Kitsap (17-1-2) on a superb direct free kick, Skyview yet again found the net off the head of Austin Horner, who converted what became the winning goal in the 35th minute.
The Cougars made it interesting in the 65th minute with a goal delivered by Jordan Kollars, who broke away from the defense and beat goalkeeper Evan Laws one-on-one.
3A SOCCER
Bainbridge 3, Mercer Island 2: In the 3A title game, the Spartans withstood heavy pressure from the Islanders to come away with the crown.
Although Bainbridge controlled possession and held a 2-0 lead in the first half, Mercer Island battled back with two goals of its own. Bainbridge then put it away with a goal late in the second half.
Eastmonth 6, Mountain View 5 (SO): The Wildcats (19-3) catpured third place in 3A behind goalkeeper David Romero, who came up with three consecutive saves during the shootout to finish off the Thunder (13-7-1). The match ended 5-5 in regulation.
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