Bainbridge remained the second-ranked boys lacrosse team in Division I of the Metro League with an overall season record of 11-8 after a disappointing 6-2 loss at home against Issaquah Friday, May 9.
Eastside Catholic remains in first place, with an overall season record of 16-0.
Friday’s game was the first in the series of five non-league games that are scheduled to round off the Spartan season, and include several played in Oregon. The action then returned to Bainbridge Thursday, May 15. Results were unavailable at the time the Review went to press.
Spartan Co-head Coach Cody Bludorn again praised the team’s overall effort during Friday’s game, saying that the team had definitely refused to be bullied on the field.
“This is pretty close to a state championship-caliber team as we’re ever going to play,” he said of Issaquah.
“This team played Mercer Island to a one-goal game, and they actually beat Bellevue, so they’re kind of the top of the pack right now and I think we played them tough all the way to the end,” Bludorn said.
Bludorn remarked that the team’s intensity was impressive and would serve them well in the upcoming late-season games, but that the players needed to develop more offensively.
“I think that we just couldn’t generate enough offense,” he explained. “Anytime you hold an opponent to – what was it six or seven goals? – you’ve done your job defensively. We just have to be able to generate more points than two to win a game. Maybe one out of 99 games you’re going to win with two goals.”
“We need to score at least 10 goals a game,” he explained. “We’re shooting for more than 10 goals a game, but to win a game, especially at this intensity and when our defense is playing well, I think we definitely need to generate at least 10.”
Bludorn praised the performance of goalie Reynolds Yarbrough specifically, saying that the BHS senior had several key saves throughout the game.
“He did a good job,” Bludorn said. “And the guys in front of him did a good job of putting him in a position to make those saves.”
Being a non-conference game so late in the season, the players’ approach to Friday’s game was most likely different, said Bludorn.
“We scheduled this tough schedule,” he laughed. “We’re one of the only teams in the league that schedule 20 games and that’s the maximum that you can have for a season. We did that for a reason — so that our teams are battle-tested, so they can grow throughout the season. We like to get some of these [more challenging] matchups late in the season so that we get some of that playoff intensity.”
Bludorn said that it was not typical to have so many non-conference games in a row scheduled this close to the end of the season.
Friday’s game was also Youth Night, where the players on the youth lacrosse teams were recognized for their season achievements.
“I hope they continue to enjoy the game and find that love for it,” Bludorn said of the young players. “You always hope that all the kids, when they’re playing, are having fun with it and also making friends that will last for the rest of their lives. It’s good for the growth of the game, as well as the growth of our program on the island.”
The relatively junior Spartan squad this year, consisting of only five seniors, has enjoyed dramatic improvement since the start of the season, said Bludorn. The team plays at home again Tuesday, May 20.
