Vashon Island extends winning streak with shutout of Bellevue Christian in title game
Vashon Island High School boys soccer will carry their winning streak into the state playoffs.
The Pirates, who haven’t lost a game since March and completed an undefeated run through Class 1A Nisqually League play last week, added a 1A West Central District championship Thursday night in Tacoma with another convincing victory.
Two days after posting an 8-1 win over league rival Cascade Christian in the district semifinals, Vashon Island shut out Bellevue Christian, 5-0, in another impressive performance in the title game at Lincoln Bowl.
The Pirates (16-2) controlled possession most of the way, and sent several shots into the box throughout the contest, but it wasn’t until the closing minutes of the first half that they finally broke a scoreless tie to take a lead they never lost.
“We really just had to be patient about it,” freshman forward Lewis Thompson said.
In the 37th minute, Pirates sophomore Rowan Marceau-Roache dribbled past a Vikings defender on the left side, and sent in a shot that deflected off Bellevue Christian’s goalkeeper. Junior Ellis Cudaback then knocked the rebound into the back of the net to give Vashon Island the decisive 1-0 advantage.
That was the first of three goals for the Pirates — who sent a midfielder forward during the half to create more pressure — in a five-minute stretch of game time.
“Once we moved the extra attacker up, we just started putting the ball in the back of the net, and that was the difference,” Vashon Island coach Scott Nicolino said.
Moments after the first goal, Marceau-Roache tapped in a second goal on a long cross to give the Pirates a 2-0 advantage heading into the break.
Thompson — Vashon Island’s scoring leader this spring — added a hat trick in the second half, scoring in the 42nd, 59th and 64th minutes to put the lead out of reach.
Thompson scored the first off a rebound on a blocked shot, and sent the final two past the goalkeeper from about 10 yards out.
“Just great teamwork to get it in there in the first place, and I was just at the right place at the right time,” he said of the three goals.
The win was Vashon Island’s third against the league rival Vikings — who beat the Pirates in the district championship game last season — and secures their spot in the 1A state bracket for a fourth consecutive season.
The Pirates won the program’s first state title in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the next two tournaments, and advanced to the first round last season. This spring, they will look to make another run with both experienced returners and talented newcomers.
“Last year we made it to the state tournament, we won the first game and then lost the second one in Wenatchee,” Nicolino said. “This year, we’ve got a lot of fantastic seniors, but we’ve also got an influx of really good freshmen.”
The Pirates, who have now won each of their past 12 matches, posted their 10th shutout of the season in Thursday night’s win, and are outscoring opponents, 80-17, this spring.
“We are totally balanced, really from the front to the back,” Nicolino said.
Thompson noted the Pirates’ teamwork as a key to their success this spring.
“We’re such a good team, and we have a great bond as well,” Thompson said. “And we’re really good about keeping possession and keeping level-headed.”
Bellevue Christian (9-5-2) will play Life Christian (10-5-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Franklin Pierce Stadium in a winner-to-state, loser-out game. The Vikings beat the Eagles, 2-1, in the semifinals Tuesday and the two programs split during the regular season.
Life Christian edged Cascade Christian, 3-2, at Lincoln Bowl in a loser-out contest earlier Thursday evening to advance to Saturday’s state play-in game.
The Pirates now wait to find out who their first-round opponent will be in the state bracket, which begins next week. Qualifying teams will be seeded by WIAA committee.
