Mercer Island Wins the "MIB Rivalry", Downs Bellevue 8-6 HIGHLIGHTS

BELLEVUE- Bellevue stadium was a divided house.  The Wolverine fans in blue and yellow on on one side and the visiting Islanders in maroon and white.  This is a great rivalry we have in Washington.  It was a rematch of last year's state championship where Bellevue muscled out a 8-7 OT win. The fierce rivalry coarsed with bad blood and it did not disappoint. This is the first game between a pair of top five teams in the state and it revealed some great play and a few surprise.

Mercer Island came up with the first possession.  Connor Bernal banged one in easily for Mercer Island.  Colton Knebel followed with another in transition to give the Islanders a quick 2-0.  However, Bellevue's young talented attack took care with the ball on their next possession.  Drew Douglas found Peter Brandes on the doorstep.  Bellevue's defense kicked in their defense trying to account for the Islander 2:3 slot.  Mercer Island's Matt Shields and Doug Mahony put up the score to 4-1 by the end of the first quarter.  

The Islanders began the second quarter with an illegal pocket on Bernal, giving Bellevue and EMO.  However, the Wolverines failed to convert.  This game looked like it would be decided in the transition game. Rides and Clears became focal points for turnovers for both teams.  The Wolverine defense began pressuring the Islander attack, but over aggression led to a penalties.  Shields scored a hat trick, on the EMO pushing the score to 5-1 with less than five minutes in the half. Every loose ball became a dogfight as the teams and fans started.  Chants of "Mercer Island" and Bellevue vuvuzelas battled back and forth as much as the teams were.  Bellevue's Blake Samuel scored in transition to put the halftime score at 7-2.

The Wolverines adjusted well coming into the second half, scoring two back-to-back goals.  First, Sam Leggett got some running room across midfield and finished.  Next, Andrew Gulrajani scored on a behind the cage on a nice hidden ball trick.  The run was snapped by the Islander defense and the rest of the quarter was a primarily defensive.  Both goalies Mercer Island's Brian Bernstein and Bellevue's Austin Boyd were playing confidently and quick-wristed.  At the end of the third quarter the score was 7-4 Mercer Island.  

Play got going with Bernal pegging the pipe.  Wolverine midfielders picked up the ball and then settled into their offense.  Bellevue freshman Nick Hudson scored one-on-one, sniping past Bernstein cutting the deficit by two with ten minutes left in regulation.  Bellevue decided to kill clock time and run some smart possession offense.  Refusing to allow midfield play and decided to put two poles on the Islander midfield line.  Bellevue freshman Hank Betheke scored off another nice one-on-one and Mercer Island took a timeout.  The Wolverines kicked it into gear, sensing the equalizer at hand.  Bellevue's freshmen surprised tonight, willing to step up and face a new replaced Islander defense.  The young talent make Bellevue a sleeping giant in seasons to come.  

With time ticking away, both teams picked up their intensity as the hits started coming.  The physicality became a big factor, strong Islander athletes were pitted against a quick, shifty Bellevue squad.  With less than two minutes to play, Bernal started with the ball after a timeout.  Bellevue doubled with Boyd, but Bernal burned them.  He scored on an empty net solidifying the 8-6 Mercer Island win.

Both teams revealed much tonight.  First, they are true school rivals.  The cross town sports rivalry truly transitioned into their lacrosse.  Second, Bellevue is team Young Guns.  Sadly, no Emilio Estevez.  But freshman Hank Bethke and Nick Hudson were hungry and willing to step up in the big game.  Lastly, Mercer Island has some beasts.  A very talented midfield and a defense fine tuning each time they play.  A playoff match-up between these two will be the game to watch.

Bellevue learns from this and heads south to Dallas, Texas for spring break then returns to play at Lynnwood.  However, Mercer Island enters the toughest part of their schdule.  Traveling to Vancouver, WA on Friday to face point leader Jack Beall and King's Way and Oregon Episcopal School in Portland on Saturday.  Their spring break trip takes them to Boston next week for three games.  Finally returning to face top four contender Issaquah at home.   

Players of the Game:

Matt Shields (MI)- 3G

Sam Legget (Bellevue)- 1G, 4GBs

Mercer Island's Matt Shields post-game comments

Sam Leggett's post-game comments

Photo by Henry Valentine

Game Highlights By McNutty