Bainbridge’s boys soccer team beat the 2023 4A state champions Skyline of Sammamish 4-1 March 20 at home.

The Spartans, 3-0, entered the matchup coming off a 7-0 victory over the Olympic Trojans, and had not given up a goal coming into the match. Bainbridge coach Mark Nowak noted the impact of playing a school like Skyline.

“Skyline coming over allows us to go up against some bigger schools and some strong competition,” Nowak said. “I think the boys were fired up enough on their own.”

The Bainbridge offense got off to a hot start with junior forward Cruz Piland putting in a goal within the first five minutes of the game. Skyline put in a goal of its own at the 29-minute mark, tying the game 1-1.

Bainbridge senior midfielder Finley Reynolds responded by scoring a goal at the 13-minute mark, pushing the lead to 2-1. The last 10 minutes of the first half saw both defenses ramp up, but Piland was able to put in another goal with 1:53 remaining, pushing Bainbridge’s lead to 3-1 at the half.

“We just have some great players that can score goals,” senior midfielder August Peterson said. “If we can feed our players in, we’re gonna score many.”

The defensive prowess was evident in the second half, with both teams forcing multiple turnovers. Neither team could get a shot on goal until the 31:11 mark when junior midfielder Dana Goodwin was able to get a shot on goal. The Bainbridge offense also began to increase the tempo, driving the ball downfield consistently on Skyline, largely due to the number of turnovers the Spartans were forcing in Skyline territory.

Bainbridge goalkeeper Cooper Harrington managed to swat away an up-close Skyline scoring attempt with 13 minutes remaining. The final 10 minutes of the game saw Bainbridge limit Skyline’s scoring attempts in spite of a more-aggressive push to get the ball into Spartan territory. Bainbridge midfielder Oliver Morrison put in another goal for the Spartans, increasing the lead to 4-1, sealing the victory.

“Second half, we kind of switched formations,” Nowak said. “We sat some guys behind the ball a little deeper [so] that our attackers could go do their thing while the other team [Skyline] was out of position.”