By Peter Sanborn

Special to the Reporter

Mercer Island High School’s boys soccer team beat Interlake, 3-1, on May 12 to earn a trip to the state tournament.

The boys also finished first in the 3A KingCo league, earning them the regular-season championship trophy. In addition, the team is ranked No. 10 in the state.

Goalie Jackson Barker led the team on Thursday night with five saves and, along with a stout defense led by Cooper Gersch, shut down the Interlake offense.

Woody Brown got the scoring started on a throw-in assist from Hawkins Sanborn, who scored the second goal off of a steal. Brady Gilroy put the game away with a header goal on a corner-kick assist from Remy Frederick.

The state tournament starts next week and the boys are determined to see how far they can go.

With the state tournament now at the Islanders’ feet, coach Forrest Marowitz chipped in with his thoughts: “To make a state run, we are going to have to compete hard, make good decisions on the ball, be sharp on set pieces, and most importantly believe in ourselves.”

Marowitz said the team has reaped success because of the players’ commitment to each other and its roster depth.

“They understand that success on the pitch comes from creating quality relationships and playing for one another. Guys have stepped up consistently throughout the season to give us the quality we need when we have lost players due to injury and illness,” he said.

Reporter Andy Nystrom contributed to this report.