Matt Phelps
Mercer Island Reporter

For nearly a decade and a half, Steve Newman has been the head coach of the Mercer Island boys soccer team. The coach knows what it takes to win the league title and make it to the state title game, and both are goals for this year’s squad.

“We need to start strong and maintain a good mental approach to the game,” said Newman.

Last year, the Islanders were young and it showed, when they lost the first game of the season to Mount Si. The Islanders recovered to post a 9-4-3 record and make the playoffs.

“We have to have a better start overall,” said Islander senior Keegan Tomita. “We want to win KingCo and do much better than last year.”

The Islanders got off to a rocky start by losing to Mount Si on March 11 at Islander stadium, 1-0, but then destroyed Interlake with a 3-0 victory on Friday. But a bigger test will come this Friday when they host rival Newport.

A win against Newport would go a long way in determining just how good the Islanders will be this season.

Mercer Island has the athletes not only to win the league title but go deep into the state playoffs. Last season, the Islanders were bounced from the state playoffs in short order by Hazen High School, which still doesn’t sit well with the team.

But many of the Islanders view last season as a learning experience.

Islander Forrest Marowitz spent his first year as the starting goalkeeper for the team last year and came up big in the 3A KingCo playoffs, including a shootout victory.

“He learned a lot last year, and we really learned to trust him,” said Tomita.

But the team will need more than just a good performance from its defense.

“We have Jed Jacobson and Johnny [O’Meara] back there, who are fairly solid,” said Newman. “Forrest played well last year, and it is big to have that experience back there.”

The Islanders lost three key seniors from the 2007 team and will have five this year.

“I need to put them into situations that allow them to be successful,” said Newman. “Then it is up to them to make good decisions.”

Not having any preseason games last year hurt the Islanders. That fact this season gives the Islanders an advantage.

“We’re still young, but we bring back a lot of experience,” said O’Meara. “We have the talent to go all the way.”

That confidence is echoed by Newman, but he is more concerned about the team playing as a unit than relying on individual talent.

“This is not an individual sport, and I expect that this team will play together,” said Newman. “We have some great camaraderie and players who are very loyal. It speaks volumes about the type of kids we have here.”

The dedication to the team and a good work ethic have gained the Islanders many opportunities on and off the field. Islander Radcliffe McDougald is already set to play for Seattle University next year. Other players have received interest from various colleges as well. The Islanders didn’t seem to struggle in getting opportunities on the field last year but in taking advantage of those opportunities.

“We have been doing shooting drills every day, and we just need people to focus when they get those shots,” said O’Meara.

One area that might help the Islanders overall is their strong sophomore and freshman classes. As many as four or five freshmen and sophomores could make the varsity roster.

“We had 87 kids try out this year, which is a record for this program,” said Newman. “Thirty-three of them were freshmen.”

The interest in the sport and the Mercer Island High School program will only be helped by the Islanders attaining their goals.