BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Different year. Same result.

The North Kitsap Vikings and Bainbridge Spartans soccer teams again failed to settle for anything but a tie Tuesday, with the annual Agate Pass battle ending knotted at one apiece.

The two teams’ non-league debut ended last year with the same score — the only difference this year being that the goals scored came from the feet of veterans from both teams.

A year ago, North’s then-freshman Kayla Collins and the Spartans’ then-sophomore Callan Cobb provided their respective team’s goals.

This time, North Kitsap senior and team leader Megan Hyte blasted home the Vikes’ lone goal in the 31st minute, while senior Jenine Adam headed the Spartans’ tally off an impeccable cross from fellow senior Taryn Christoffersen in the 76th minute.

Both teams had a contingent of their best players out, either with eligibility issues or injuries. Nonetheless, when Bainbridge and North Kitsap get together, it’s serious business on both sides.

“They’re our cross-bridge rivals,” said Bainbridge coach Mark Grindrod. “This rivalry has lasted years and years.”

“Our football team lost to them and our JV football team lost to them,” said North’s Hyte, adding that North badly wanted to bring a win back to the peninsula.

“But a tie is better than a loss,” she said.

Hyte scored the lone goal of the game for North Kitsap on her own. Taking the ball past mid-field, the senior tallied her first goal of the season on a booming kick over the defense’s heads — as well as goalie Jackie Danzig’s — that found the back of the net.

“I was just thinking, ‘It’s now or never,’” Hyte said. “One more step and the defense would have cut me off.”

There was no set play or strategy during the goal, added NK coach Teri Ishihara — Hyte just knows an opportunity when one presents itself.

“That was just Megan,” said Ishihara. “She can do that all on her own.”

But Hyte’s charge down field did exemplify two of North’s biggest weapons — speed and aggressiveness.

“(North Kitsap) has a lot of speed,” Grindrod said. “And a lot of aggressive play. Not dirty but just good, clean, hard soccer.”

North took the momentum of Hyte’s solo goal into the second half, adding scoring chances senior forward Emily Danford and sophomore Brenna Lander but Danzig was able to hang on to any loose balls off attempts.

Bainbridge set up numerous scoring attempts in the final 20 minutes of play but goalie Kelsey Krasas — a ninth grader playing in her first varsity game — made many diving stops to thwart them, including one against the Spartans’ Allie Dicha on her doorstep.

But Bainbridge would strike in the final five minutes of play on a pristine cross that eluded all Viking defenders. Spartan senior Christoffersen hooked a ball over the middle that found the head of fellow senior Adam. The Vikings’ Krasas tipped the ball with her fingertips, but could not avert Adams’ header from going in the net in the 76th minute.

“We had talked about getting her foot planted earlier and she did it,” Grindrod said of Christoffersen. “And (Adam) got up there for a header with some real power.”

In the early JV game, the Spartans prevailed over North by a 3-1 score.

North Kitsap (0-0-1) will host Port Angeles Sept. 14 while Bainbridge (0-0-1) will be back in action today at Central Kitsap.