The Islander boys soccer team held onto an unblemished record Tuesday evening, beating Auburn Mountainview 3-0 in the first round of the state tournament. MIHS carried the game despite an hour-long delay due to lightening.

The team controlled the ball, knocking on the Lions’ door for most of the first half before junior Tyler Ybarra was able to connect with 4:27 left in the first half. Not two minutes later, lightening flashed through the sky and automatically halted the game for 30 minutes. Per the National Federation of High School Sports rules, any contest must be stopped until the lightening passes. Following another flash, the clock was restarted, adding an additional 30 minutes to the delay, while both teams waited out the spring storm in the locker rooms.

Once play resumed, the Islanders continued to beat down the Auburn Mountainview defense, looking for any chance of scoring. Halfway through the second half, Diego Corvalan capitalized off of an assist from Danny Strome, taking the score to 2-0. Ten minutes later, Corvalan rushed downfield again to widen the gap to 3-0 for Mercer Island.

The Islanders advance to the quarterfinals to take on Mt. Rainier at Highline Stadium on Saturday, May 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

For a full recap of both games, check next week’s issue of the Mercer Island Reporter.