Mercer Island boys lacrosse heads to state finals against Bellevue

By Megan Managan • May 27, 2010 2:06 pm
Senior captain Conner Beckwith (21) fends off Issaquah defenders during the Islanders home win over the Eagles in last Wednesday's state semifinal game.
Senior captain Conner Beckwith (21) fends off Issaquah defenders during the Islanders home win over the Eagles in last Wednesday's state semifinal game.

For the sixth time in the past seven years the Mercer Island High School boys lacrosse team is headed to the state championship.

After defeating two-time defending state champion Issaquah on Wednesday night 4-2 the Islanders move to Saturday night’s final against Bellevue. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.

Earning their spot in a second consecutive title game the Islanders held on to their undefeated status after beating the Eagles. Strong defensive play by Mercer Island and excellent goal tending from senior captain Hap Giraud kept Issaquah from scoring until the last two minutes of the game.

The Islanders started the night off with a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, after Matthew Shields scored off a pass from T. Cales Johnson. Eight seconds later Johnson passed to Connor Bernal for the team’s second goal of the night.

In the second quarter Jonathan Wettack passed to Shields for a 3-0 lead, followed by a Steven Taylor goal with 3:46 left in the quarter.

Issaquah tried to rally in the remaining minutes of the game in the fourth, with Kevin Powers sneaking past Islander goalie Giraud with 2:10 left to play. Duncan Hamilton followed suit with just 18 seconds left on the clock to bring the game to it’s final score. Giraud had 11 saves during the game.

Mercer Island will now face Bellevue in the state finals on Saturday night. The Wolverines beat Bainbridge in the state semifinal game 13-3. The Islanders beat Bellevue in the team’s only meeting this season 7-5 during a May 14 final regular season game.