The Bainbridge Spartans boys varsity lacrosse team opened the season with a barnburner win against Issaquah.

Bainbridge came back from a 5-0 deficit to win 9-8 in the home opener at BHS Memorial Stadium.

Issaquah dominated in the first quarter, with three goals by Gaje Gunter, which laid the foundation for the 5-0 advantage at the end of the first stanza.

Bainbridge answered with two goals to cut the Eagles’ lead to 5-3 in the second.

Issaquah’s Matt Moss split the posts and the Eagles were back up 6-2, but a big save by Bainbridge’s Dawson Friers ultimately put the ball in Alex Goon’s stick, who then went end-to-end to score with 2 seconds left in the half to put the score at 6-3.

The Spartans outpaced the Eagles 3-1 in the third quarter, and a goal by Issaquah put the contest at 7-6 heading into the final quarter.

Moss again found the net for the Eagles in the fourth — his fifth goal of the night — to put Issaquah in front by two, 8-6.

Bainbridge evened the score with the second of two unanswered goals with 7:29 to play, but the Eagles threatened to break the tie with less than two minutes remaining with a spirited offensive attack on the Bainbridge net.

But the Spartans dodged defeat with another epic save by Friers, and Merritt McMahon fired in the decider with 26 seconds left to win the game for BHS.