Lake Sammamish Falls to Bainbridge in Girls' Lacrosse State Championship

From the Washington chapter of US Lacrosse:

Bainbridge High School scored four unanswered goals in the second half to come from behind to win its ninth Washington Lacrosse Girls' State Championship with a 13–11 defeat of Lake Sammamish on Saturday at the Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish. 

The state title was the second straight for the defending champion Spartans, who won 10 straight to close out the regular season and advance to the playoffs with a 10-1-1 record. 

After falling behind a fast and hungry Lake Sammamish squad 7-6 in the first on a score by Lake Washington High School senior Allison Clements with just a second remaining in the first half and then slipping behind 8–6 on another Clements score to start the second, Bainbridge appeared to be in trouble.

“We couldn’t connect in the first,” said Spartan senior midfielder Olivia Smith.  “We knew exactly what they were doing, but we just couldn’t get it.”

But just three minutes into the second, junior Kelsey Mackin’s goal at 21:58 set the Bainbridge comeback in motion as the Spartans went on the score six of the next seven goals including Smith’s short-handed goal with 8:11 remaining to put the Spartans up 12–9 remaining in the game and turn the momentum to Bainbridge.

“Once someone puts the ball in the goal, we have momentum,” said Smith after joining her teammates in dousing winning Bainbridge coach Tami Tommila with Gatorade after the game. “We’re a slow starting team. But once we get in that groove, we can make things happen.”

Lake Sammamish would go on to add two more scores on goals at 5:03 by Woodinville sophomore Alexandra Johnson and a 3:56 score by sophomore Amelia Chirichigno, but that would be all as Bainbridge went into a ball-control offense to close out the game and shut down Lake Washington.

Bainbridge senior Olivia Smith had four goals and an assist, while senior Theo Fehsenfeld netted three goals and two assists to close out their careers. Junior goalkeeper Madeline Stevenson had 10 saves in the Bainbridge net. 

Lake Sammamish was led by Clements with four goals, while Eastlake High senior Grace Hamilton had six saves. 

The Spartans, which finished the season 14-1-1 have advanced to the state title game 16 times, winning it won it all in 2012, 2011,2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1996, 1995 and 1994.

This was just the second trip to a state championship for Lake Sammamish.  The Eastside club previously made it to the Division II title game in 2005, falling to Snohomish. Lake Sammamish finished the season with a 13-3-0 record.

Scoring

Bainbridge                          6  7 -- 13

Lake Sammamish             7  4 – 11

Bainbridge 13, Lake Sammamish 11 – Bainbridge wins girls state championship (Olivia Smith, B, 4 goals, 1 assist; Theo Fehsenfeld, B, 3 goals, 2 assists, 2 draw controls; Grace Deery-Schmitt, B, 2 goals, 3 ground balls, 4 draw controls; 2 caused turnovers; Kelsey Mackin, B, 2 goals, 3 draw controls; Paige Brigham, B, 1 goal, 1 ground ball; Madeline Stevenson, B, 10 saves; Allison Clements, LS, 4 goals; Sarah Wyrick, LS, 2 goals, 3 ground balls; 1 draw control, 1 caused turnover; Alexandra Johnson, LS, 2 goals, 1 ground ball; Ali Savage, LS, 1 goal, 2 ground balls; 1 draw control; Claire Monsaas, LS, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 ground ball; 4 draw controls; Meg Chapman, 11, 6 saves)