Bremerton coach Lance McCoy put it best.

“That’s as much a heartbreaker as I’ve been involved in in years,” McCoy said, somberly.

Olympic edged BHS 1-0 at Silverdale Stadium Tuesday, scoring in the 77th minute to break a stalemate and steal a win.

Trojan senior Ali Brown provided the back-breaker.

After Audrey Pond blasted a shot from about 15 yards out, ricocheting off BHS keeper Kristy Wood, Brown gathered possession in front of the goal and struck the ball before Wood recovered.

The goal was both sudden and stunning.

“We met in the center of the field — everybody’s pretty emotional, I’m emotional,” McCoy said of his post-game message to the players. “You look them in the eyes and tell ’em you love ’em, tell them great job. You tell them the next one is ours.”

The Trojans (11-4-0 overall, 8-2-0 league) entered the game heavy favorites, but Bremerton held its own until Brown’s goal.

“I just felt like we controlled the second half of play,” McCoy said.

Both teams had plenty of opportunities to score, especially Oly, which was on attack nearly the entire 40-minute first half.

“We created a lot of opportunities, especially early in the game, that we didn’t put away,” Trojan coach Steve Haggerty said. “We kept pressing. I told them at halftime, ‘A tie doesn’t do us any good, we gotta go out and get a win.’”

Win they did. Barely.

“It was a great game,” Haggerty said. “Lance is such a good coach and he always has his team prepared. They probably deserved a little bit better than not to pick up a (win).”

Both McCoy and Haggerty praised Olympic keeper, junior Darrien Dorr, for shutting the door on each Bremerton attack, giving her offense a chance to win the game on one goal.

“We pressured well down there and we had some opportunities,” McCoy said. “Darrien stepped up big, she made some big plays. That’s why she’s the league’s best goalkeeper.”

“What can you say about Darrien?” Haggerty added. “Fantastic stuff.”

Dorr credited the Trojan defense for closing on Bremerton’s cross passes, but said making big saves is simply a see-react process.

“My defense helped out a lot, they closed down (well). That’s why they couldn’t get their crosses in, because my defense closed down,” Dorr said. “When they do go through, it’s just instincts trying to get the ball.”

As for Bremerton (4-9-1, 4-6), McCoy said the team will regroup and attempt to finish the regular season with back-to-back wins against Klahowya and North Kitsap.

“We’re working hard, we’re in the playoffs. I think we showed we can compete in the Olympic League,” he said. “The mentality is to win both games, gain some momentum going into sub districts, and with that confidence take the game on the road.”

With five freshmen on the roster, all of whom see playing time, McCoy continues to tinker with the lineup, searching for the right roster combinations.

“We’ve mixed things around a little bit and our back line has improved dramatically. They are so confident,” McCoy said.

That confidence begins with the back line’sanchor in Wood, who shutdown a usually high-powered Olympic offense.

“She commanded the box really well tonight,” McCoy said. “I thought one well-placed shot and the game is over. Unfortunately, Olympic got that one well-placed shot.”

Brown, who typically starts at outside midfielder, was inserted into the forward position Tuesday. The choice paid off, with her tallying the winning goal.

“I thought she responded and played a pretty good game,” Haggerty said.

With one regular season game remaining, against Port Angeles on Tuesday, the Trojans are a win away from a showdown with North Kitsap for the 3A Olympic League crown. Both teams entered the weekend at 8-2 in league play, splitting the season series 1-1. Oly won the first matchup 2-1, while NK took the second, 1-0.

“We gotta play each game as it comes,” Haggerty said, pointing to Tuesday’s game against Port Angeles, a team Oly dismantled 5-0 earlier in the season.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Dorr said. “We just want to keep playing (well). We don’t want to go in fat and happy and think that we’re all that.”

The one-game playoff against NK would be played Thursday.

Tuesday’s season finale against Port Angeles is the second game of a tripleheader at Silverdale Stadium, starting at 5:30 p.m., Haggerty said.

Klahowya faces Kingston at 3:30 p.m. before CK hosts an undetermined opponent in the first round of the Narrows League Tournament at 7:30 p.m.