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WASH BOYS: WHSBLA Playoffs: Issaquah, Mercer Island Win

May 22nd, 2010

Sophomore attackman Matt O’Neill registered a game-high six points on three goals and three assists to lead Issaquah to a 13-4 victory over King’s Way in a Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association Division I quarterfinal Friday night in Vancouver.

Junior attackman Jake Fritz added four points on two goals and two assists, junior middie Kevin Powers scored three goals and sophomore middie Ben Director added a pair of goals to help the Eagles (18-4) win their fourth straight and advance to the state semifinals.

Issaquah will next face No. 4 Mercer Island on Wednesday night for the right to go to the state championship game. In the teams’ only regular-season meeting, Mercer Island beat Issaquah, 9-7, on April 9.

“Our kids are excited,” Issaquah head coach Brandon Fortier said. “They’re relishing the opportunity at having another chance to play a great game.”

On Friday, three other players scored once to round out the offense for Issaquah.

Defensively, sophomore goalie O’Neil Hughes saved nine shots, and sophomore middie Austin Richert had another strong defensive outing.

King’s Way lost its first-ever Division I playoff game and finished the season 12-4.

Issaquah led 2-1 at the end of the first quarter and 5-3 at halftime before breaking it open in the second half. The Eagles scored five unanswered goals to start the third quarter and took a 10-3 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

“We came out with a lot of intensity,” Fortier said. “Austin Richert helped set the tone early, and our offense did a good job adjusting to their zone. We got the hang of it and put it away in the third quarter.”

No. 4 MERCER ISLAND 19, CURTIS 1

Jonathan Wettack registered four points on two goals and two assists, and he picked up nine ground balls, as the Islanders (20-0) won their 20th straight and rolled into the state semifinals.

Matt Shields had four points on three goals and an assist, and Steven Taylor scored three goals for Mercer Island, which will host two-time defending state champion Issaquah on Wednesday night.

Mercer Island led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, 11-1 at halftime and 17-1 at the end of the third quarter.

In defeat, Brandon Dean scored the only goal for Curtis, which finished the season 8-10.