By Courtney Leigh Allen
WSL Washington Correspondent

MERCER ISLAND, Wash. – Junior attackman Matthew Shields scored a game-high two goals to lead No. 3 Mercer Island to a 4-2 victory over two-time defending state champion Issaquah in a Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association Division I semifinal Wednesday night.

With the win, the Islanders (21-0) advanced to the state championship game for the ninth time in the last 10 years, and they will take on No. 13 Bellevue on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m., PDT, at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.

Mercer Island will be going for its fifth state title.

“We know what to expect with Bellevue,” Mercer Island head coach Ian O’Hearn said. “We just have to get better with what we do to counter what they do. It’s going to be a good game.”

In the teams’ only regular-season meeting, the Islanders defeated the Wolverines, 7-5, on May 14.

“We played Bellevue already before, and we get to play them again,” Mercer Island senior goalie Hap Giraud said. “A lot of people say the underdogs have the advantage, but I think it’s an even setting as soon as you get out there.”

Mercer Island senior middie Steven Taylor and sophomore attackman Connor Bernal each scored once. Junior attackman T.Claes Johnson dished two assists, and senior middie Jonathan Wettack added one assist to round out the Islanders’ offense.

Defensively, Giraud saved 11 shots and held the Eagles scoreless through the first 46 minutes.

“It’s definitely a huge win for us, but as soon as we celebrate, it’s back to practice and our game Saturday,” Giraud said. “It’s short lived, but it definitely feels good.”

In a tightly-contested defensive game, both teams struggled with slippery field conditions and committed numerous turnovers. The Islanders had a 7-3 edge in face-offs, and Issaquah struggled to clear the ball and convert on its possessions.

Mercer Island led 2-0 after the first quarter, and Shields added his second of the night with 8:45 left in the second to give the Islanders a 3-0 lead at the half.

Taylor scored with 3:46 remaining in the third, and Mercer Island led 4-0 late in the fourth when Issaquah senior attackman Justin Pennington scored with 2:10 remaining. Sophomore middie Duncan Hamilton got on the board with 17 seconds left, but the Eagles’ last-minute push was not enough to overcome the Islanders’ lead.

Issaquah sophomore goalie O’Neil Hughes saved 14 shots.

“Our defense played great,” Issaquah head coach Brandon Fortier said. “If you told me we were going to hold them to four goals, I’d take that any day.”

The Eagles, who have made it to four of the last five state championship games, ended their season 18-5.

“It’s a weird feeling,” Fortier said. “We haven’t ended a season on a loss since 2007.”