Crosspoint Christian is just one match away from returning to the 1B/2B championship pitch after winning its quarterfinal matchup 2-0 vs. Tonasket at Kingston High School Nov. 16.
The Wildcats will move on to the semifinal round to face Mount Vernon Christian at Federal Way Memorial Stadium Nov. 22 at 5 p.m, but such was the only highlight of a fairly rough go for the rest of Kitsap’s playoff teams.
Bainbridge, North Kitsap, Central Kitsap and Klahowya all dropped their quarterfinal matches over the weekend by one-goal deficits, ending their seasons just shy of the final four in their respective brackets.
A back-and-forth nil-to-nil affair between Bainbridge and Bellingham went into halftime 1-1 after a 33rd-minute Bellingham goal was followed by a Bainbridge corner header by Arden De Lanoy. The Spartans took the lead in the 8th minute of the second half on a kick by Daphne Jackson, but the lead wouldn’t last past the 20th minute when Bellingham scored again off a corner header of its own. Disaster would end the Spartan season when Bellingham scored the go-ahead off a corner rebound in the 38th minute of the second half to defeat Bainbridge 3-2 in the 2A bracket.
Bainbridge opened state tournament play at home vs. Hockinson, where freshman Daphne Jackson’s 27th-minute goal put the Spartans ahead 1-0 in the first half. Senior Laine Romney padded the lead with a goal in the second half while Bainbridge kept the visitors’ offense locked down en route to a 2-0 victory.
The win marked the Spartans’ first state tournament victory since they last appeared in state in 2013. The loss to Bellingham kept Bainbridge from qualifying for the semifinals for the first time since 1981.
The Vikings of North Kitsap were unable to find the scoreboard but became the only team all season to hold West Valley to just one goal, losing 1-0 and giving the Eagles their closest margin of victory since Sept. 12.
Central Kitsap’s run as an emerging underdog in the 3A bracket came to a close in a 1-0 defeat at the feet of Seattle Prep. The Cougars had stunned Oak Harbor 3-2 on Nov. 15 before losing the next day.
Klahowya found itself tied at the halftime break with Cashmere and even took the lead 1-0 in the second, but two goals from their opponents would be enough to knock the Eagles out of the 1A playoff bracket.
