By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor
Senior middie Jordan Goldstein registered a game-high five points on four goals and one assist to lead No. 15 Issaquah to a 10-9 victory over No. 9 Mercer Island in the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association Division I state championship game Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Sophomore attackman Jake Fritz added four goals, and senior middie Jake Director scored twice to help the Eagles (19-2) win their second straight state title.
“I’m just really proud of our senior class,” Issaquah head coach Brandon Fortier said. “They were a big part of that championship team last year, and I didn’t think people gave them the credit they deserved. I’m just really proud of them for bringing the underclassmen along, playing at the same level and keeping the tradition alive.”
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Issaquah led by as many as five goals in the fourth quarter before Mercer Island rallied. The Islanders (18-5), who lost their first game this season against a Western opponent, closed to within a goal in the waning moments.
But Mercer Island’s final desperation attempt was blocked, giving Issaquah the second state title in program history. Issaquah and Mercer Island have met in three of the last five state championship games, and all three have been decided by one goal.
In defeat, sophomore attackman Matt Shields had a team-high three points on two goals and an assist, sophomore middie Doug Mahony and junior attackman Michael Black each scored twice and senior middie Steven Caditz finished with a goal and an assist for Mercer Island, which had its 12-game winning streak snapped.
Mercer Island played the title game without standout senior attackman Daniel Shields, a U.S. Lacrosse All-American selection. Daniel Shields broke his ankle in practice Monday.
“We are not a one-man team,” Mercer Island head coach Ian O’Hearn said. “They won fair and square.”
Issaquah, which finished the season on a 10-game winning streak, came out on fire. The Eagles led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter and took an 8-3 lead when Fritz scored with 1:45 remaining in the first half.
“We came out flat in the first half,” O’Hearn said. “Issaquah came out really strong, and we didn’t respond.”
Mercer Island scored late in the second quarter to close within 8-4 by halftime, and the Islanders trailed 8-5 going into the final 12 minutes.
Playing without senior middie Riley Goodman, who broke his collarbone on the opening face-off of the second half, Issaquah still managed to push its lead back to five goals at 10-5 after Goldstein scored his fourth and final goal with 8:45 remaining in regulation.
However, Mercer Island came storming back down the stretch. Black scored back-to-back goals with 7:50 and 6:43 remaining to bring the Islanders within 10-7, and Matt Shields scored back-to-back goals with 3:04 and with 10 seconds remaining to make it 10-9.
Mercer Island won the ensuing face-off, and Caditz drew a penalty with one second left. But Mahony’s desperation attempt at the buzzer was blocked, giving Issaquah the title.
“I was really proud of the effort level,” Fortier said. “We were drained, for sure, and losing Riley didn’t help. We were just running super thin. We didn’t make great decisions down the stretch, but the effort was there and that’s what allowed us to hang on.”