Islanders push past Seattle Academy in opener | Prep boys lacrosse
Published 3:55 pm Saturday, March 14, 2015
Scoring five goals in the final period of their season opener, Mercer Island boys lacrosse pulled away late to turn an otherwise close affair with Seattle Academy into a 12-7 win Friday night at Islander Stadium.
It was a timely scoring run for the Islanders, who were clinging to a single-goal lead after three quarters of play.
“We just out-endured them,” Mercer Island coach Ian O’Hearn said. “We slowly chipped away and they never took the lead.”
Tied 1-1 in the opening period, Mercer Island scored three goals in the final two minutes of the quarter to take a 4-1 lead after one. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 4-3 in the second before a goal from Evan Condon gave the Islanders a 5-3 advantage going into halftime.
The Cardinals came back with two quick goals to start the third and tied the game twice during the quarter, but Condon responded for the Islanders both times, keeping Mercer Island ahead 7-6 heading into the final period. Mercer Island managed to put the game away in the fourth, scoring the first four of its five goals in the quarter unanswered.
Johnny Van der Velden had five goals and two assists to lead Mercer Island, while Condon had four goals and an assist, and Brett Bottomley had two goals and two assists. Scott Lee, getting the starting nod in goal, had five saves for the Islanders. Mercer Island outshot Seattle Academy 50-33 and won the ground ball game 22-17.
While maybe a closer match than he would’ve liked to see, O’Hearn said the Islanders were merely getting back into game-shape.
“We hit five pipes, that’s close,” O’Hearn said, noting the shots on goal. “You can take half of that and we double up on them. It’s just us in early season form, shaking off the rust and trying to dial it in.”
Next, the Islanders will take on Bothell at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 at Bothell High School.
Mercer Island’s Johnny Osmon takes the faceoff from Seattle Academy’s Parker Woo Friday, March 13 at Islander Stadium (Joseph Livarchik/Mercer Island Reporter).
