Owls fall just short of state title in overtime thriller, 17-16

The Overlake School girls' lacrosse team lost to Bellevue East, 17-16, on a goal with seven seconds left in overtime in Saturday's Division II finals at Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish.

The Overlake School girls’ lacrosse team lost to Bellevue East, 17-16, on a goal with seven seconds left in overtime in Saturday’s Division II finals at Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish.

Freshman Camille Sullivan of Bellevue scored the game-winner, which tied her season-high of seven goals in a game.

Overlake took advantage of many Bellevue errors in the first half, leading by six goals at one point and 10-6 at the half.

““They never showed us their game in the first half,” said Overlake head coach Sue Haviland. “They have so much talent – their stick skills and vision of the field are exceptional.”

In the second half, Bellevue chipped away at the Owls’ lead, scoring six of the next seven goals, before the Owls scored three in a row, highlighted by Kerri Smith whipping a shot past the Bellevue goalie with 7:37 remaining to give the Owls a 14-12 advantage.

Trailing 15-14 with the clock winding down, junior Grace Grubb, off a pass from Zoe Pinczower, found the back of the net with one second remaining to force overtime.

After Overlake took a one-goal advantage on a Sarah Silverman score in overtime, Bellevue’s Kayla Miller evened the score at 16-16 and eventually scored the game winner with seven seconds left.

“They were still dealing with nerves (in the first half),” said Bellevue East head coach Craig Van der Horn. “I really had a belief in the team – that they could pull this off.”

For Overlake, which finished the season at 13-2, Smith led the team with four goals and three assists. Grubb, Silverman and Mariel Frank each added three goals apiece.