A battle between schools separated by a mere nine miles was won by the Issaquah Eagles boys lacrosse team against the Eastlake Wolves.

Issaquah finished the game with a 6-0 run in the second half, earning a 12-6 victory against Eastlake on senior night on May 13 at Gary Moore Stadium in Issaquah. Issaquah improved their overall record to 12-2 with the win, while Eastlake dropped to 10-4. The Eagles clinched second place in the KingCo Division 1 during the regular season. Issaquah senior Jake Lindahl, who was unstoppable scoring a game-high five goals, was glad to see his team get on track after a shaky first half. Eastlake and Issaquah were tied at 5-5 at halftime and were tied again at 6-6 early in the third quarter. Issaquah scored three goals to close out the third and added three more goals in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

“I really think it was a matter of working hard and running the defense. I think that was the big difference,” Lindahl said.

Issaquah head coach Brandon Fortier said his team switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone defense in the second half. The move paid dividends as Eastlake scored just one goal in the final 24 minutes of action.

“We made the adjustment and it worked. They (Eastlake) weren’t ready for the zone and you could tell they kind of struggled against it,” Fortier said.

Issaquah goalie Jordan Dondoyano finished with nine saves in the win.

“He is one of the best keepers in the state and he definitely had a solid performance,” Fortier said. “Part of the reason we went into a zone in the second half is because we know he (Dondoyano) can save the shots that come from the outside.”

Eastlake players Andrew Edwards and Hunter Klinge each scored two goals apiece in the loss. Maxton MacLachlan and Garrett Edwards each scored one goal as well. James Rauch scored three goals and Jake Gonzales had two goals in the win for Issaquah. Lindahl said it was special for his team to go out on top in the final regular season home game.

“We have 12 or 13 seniors so this was a big night. It was awesome to get a win, especially a 12-6 win,” Lindahl said.

The goal is simple for Issaquah in the playoffs——to bring home the state championship trophy.

“I think obviously the ultimate goal is to get back to the state final, but we will take it one game at a time,” Fortier said.