BY JOE LIVARCHIK
Reporter Newspapers
The Mercer Island boys soccer players found themselves in familiar territory on May 5, which was favorable and very much welcomed.
Getting a first-half hat trick from senior forward Austin Taylor, Mercer Island cruised to a 4-0 shut out against the Bellevue Wolverines on May 5 at Islander Stadium. It was Mercer Island’s second 4-0 win over Bellevue this spring, and the win secured the Islanders’ second-straight undefeated season in KingCo competition.
The scoring of the contest was nearly a carbon copy of Mercer Island’s previous matchup with the Wolverines (5-7-3, 5-5-2) on April 11, which incredibly enough, also featured a hat trick from Taylor. Only this time, Taylor exploded for his three goals in the first 40 minutes of play. The Mercer Island senior fired five of the Islanders’ nine first-half shots. Taylor put his team on the board in the 19th minute, receiving a left-side cross from Eric Dreyer at the top of the box and chipping the ball into the upper right corner of the net. Nearly 20 minutes later, Taylor rebounded a Hunter Bauman shot from the left side to extend the Islander advantage. His third goal came a minute later, off an assist from Bauman to give the Islanders a 3-0 lead heading into the break. Taylor said when it came to the contest against Mercer Island’s cross-lake rivals, he had no problem finding motivation to compete.
“It was sort of different feeling for me just because Bellevue and Mercer Island have a long history,” Taylor said. “The last game we played them I scored three goals, so I was coming into this game with the highest of hopes. The past couple of games I’ve been sort of off, so going in and scoring these three goals was the greatest feeling ever.”
Rigby called Taylor “a very dangerous player.”
“He’s a big body up front, has pace and uses it well,” Rigby said of Taylor. “He’s got another gear and if we could get him on that gear the rest of this season, we’ll be doing great.”
The Wolverines upped their attack in the second half, attempting five more shots with three being on goal. Bellevue coach Ron Feary said heading into the game, his team was looking to create opportunities with its quick counter attack. Despite the loss, Feary saw signs of encouragement from his team as the Wolverines move on to the postseason.
“We realize Mercer Island is an excellent team,” he said. “I think we’re in good shape. Our players moved the ball well, both off and on the ball. I think we’re poised to represent ourselves well in the playoffs.”
Taylor nearly made it four goals after halftime, with a shot in the 49th minute hooking wide left. After a Bellevue handball in the box in the 57th minute, Bauman successfully connected on the ensuing penalty kick to give the Islanders their winning points.
Mercer Island goalkeeper and senior captain Matt LeProwse finished with four saves in the net, with three coming in the second half. He said while the Islanders achieved their goal of adding a KingCo banner to further decorate the Mercer Island gym, the team’s most important game of the season was still yet to come.
“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions even though it’s been victory after victory for us,” LeProwse said. “This season’s been one that I won’t forget and it’s so similar to last season. We’re very conscious of not making the same mistake twice and following in the next game, so that’s a game that we’re really looking forward to.”
