Mercer Island boys water polo closed the season strong destroying Shorewood 21-8. Seniors Kirk Robinson, Conner Vacca and Ford Witman were honored for their career contributions.
The Islanders struck first with a Sammy Vacca goal 30 seconds into play. Goals by Erik Raisys, Sam Nair and Conner Vacca followed making it 5-1 at the first-quarter mark.
The Islanders launched a massive air assault in the second quarter, scoring nine goals over a blistering five-minute interval. Kirk Robinson lead the quarter with two goals while seven more Islanders added to the tally. The Islander lead widened to 14-2 at the half.
Frustrations continued to mount for the Thunderbirds in the third quarter as Shorewood was not able to muster any defensive pressure. Goals by Robinson, Nik Lacrampe, Witman and Daniel Kavesh made it 20-2 at the end of the third.
After dominating for three quarters, coach Andrew Smith-Jones called up the JV team to play the final quarter of the game. Against a more inexperienced crew, Shorewood was able to put some in the net, scoring six goals in the final period. Ken Huang popped the ball up to Leif Gullstad at 3:31 for the lone Islander goal of the final quarter, but victory was at hand 21-8.
Islanders finish 5-1 in San Diego Invite
The Islanders rode the winning wave of Senior Night to Southern California and made short work of four opponents at the San Diego Invitational. The Islanders dispatched California teams Bonita Visa 10-3, Granite Hills 9-5, San Pasqual 7-6 and Eastlake 6-4 to reach the championship bracket.
Mercer Island played a heart-pumping quarterfinals game versus San Diego powerhouse Torrey Pines. The Islanders trailed the Falcons 2-8 at halftime, but came all the way back to tie it 9-9 on a Conner Vacca goal in regulation. The game remained tied after triple overtime before the Falcons emerged victorious 11-10 on a golden goal.
The Islanders went on to beat Fallbrook 9-7 in their final tournament game for a top-6 finish in a field featuring 44 of the best West Coast high school teams. Mercer Island heads to the Washington state regionals later this week.
