Bainbridge, North Kitsap advance at district soccer playoffs
North Kitsap and Bainbridge were the lone victors Tuesday when four other West Sound boys soccer programs were upended in district play.
North Kitsap (14-1-1) prevailed as the No. 2 seed in the West Central/Sea-King Bi-District 2A tournament, winning 2-1 against No. 7 Clover Park. Aaron Lopez scored off an assist from Mason Chmielewski to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead and Blake Hoepfinger provided the game-winner on a penalty kick after Clover Park knotted the game at 1-1.
Securing a top-four district finish and a state tournament berth, the Vikings host No. 3 Sammamish on Thursday at 7 p.m. If North Kitsap wins, it will play in the district title game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Olympic High School against No. 1 Franklin Pierce or No. 4 White River. The third/fourth-place game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Olympic High School.
Three other Olympic League 2A teams were shut out in elimination games Tuesday: No. 9 Bremerton fell 5-0 against No. 16 Enumclaw to finish with a record of 8-8; No. 12 Kingston lost 3-0 to No. 13 Steilacoom to finish at 6-10-1; and No. 15 North Mason fell 2-0 against No. 10 Washington to finish at 5-10-0.
In the West Central/Southwest Bi-District 3A tournament, Bainbridge (17-2) won its third consecutive district game by topping No. 3 Jefferson 3-0. The Spartans can clinch a state berth Thursday with a victory over No. 11 Kent Meridian at Stadium Bowl in Tacoma at 7:30 p.m.
For the third time this season, Central Kitsap dropped a close game against South Sound Conference rival Gig Harbor, falling 2-1 in a semifinal game. Jake MacKenzie scored his 36th goal of the season for the Cougars, who trailed by two goals early in the second half.
Central Kitsap (12-4) already clinched a state tournament berth with a first-round win over Heritage. The West Central/Southwest Bi-District 3A tournament doesn't feature a third/fourth-place game, so the Cougars are off until the first round of the state tournament next week.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bainbridge, North Kitsap win in boys soccer district playoffs
