The No. 5 seed North Kitsap Vikings (22-4) fell to the No. 3 seed Columbia River Rapids (23-1-1) 4-1 in the 2A state title game May 31 at Federal Way Memorial Stadium.

The Vikings previously lost to Columbia River in the 2023 state championship game, and have come very close the last few seasons to capturing the school’s first boys soccer championship.

”We were pretty banged up from the night before and unfortunately it wasn’t our day,” NK coach Greg St. Peter said, referring to the Vikings’ hard-fought win over top-seed Bainbridge that went to penalty kicks.

“So proud of how far this year’s team progressed to reach the final weekend,” he said. “It hurts now, but we’ll look back and be proud of our accomplishments.”

The River Rapids landed an immediate scoring opportunity early in the first half, but could not get the ball to find the back of the net. Neither team could get much of anything going for the first ten minutes of the game.

NK goalkeeper Andrew Knott endured many shots on goal after the first ten minutes of the game, forcing the Vikings to play tight man-to-man defense to counter Columbia River’s offensive attack. However, neither team could generate consistent offensive possessions that would allow for scoring opportunities, as many turnovers were being committed over the middle of the field.

Aaron Lopez managed to land an up-close-and-personal shot on goal attempt with 16 minutes remaining in the half, the first time NK landed a strong opportunity to score a goal all game, but couldn’t get it to find the back of the net.

Then came the scoring for Columbia River, as they scored two goals toward the end of the first half to secure a 2-0 lead.

The River Rapids continued to add on in the second half, scoring an additional goal early in the second half. NK managed to score its first goal in the second half via an Owen Leslie header that found the back of the net.

However, Columbia River responded with a goal of their own, giving them a 4-1 lead and ultimately sealing the win.

“Gonna miss our seniors, but the experience gained for our younger guys is huge and we hope to continue our program’s success,” St. Peter said.

In the semifinals, the Vikings shocked the No. 1 seed Bainbridge Spartans by beating them 2-1 in penalty kicks May 30.

“We know every time we face these guys [Bainbridge], we know that we haven’t shown our best,” NK coach Greg St. Peter said.

It was sort of a revenge game for NK, as Bainbridge had beaten them twice in the regular season and once in the district championship. One of the Spartans’ regular-season wins over the Vikings was eventually changed to a forfeit win for NK since Bainbridge had used an ineligible player.

In the state semifinal matchup, Spartan defenseman Howard Howlett kicked off the scoring for both squads at the 29-minute mark in the first half, giving Bainbridge an early 1-0 lead. After that, neither team could amount to much of anything on offense, with both teams generating a similar number of scoring chances throughout the next ten minutes of the first half.

Spartan midfielder Cooper Harrington was able to get an up-close-and-personal shot on goal with 20 minutes remaining in the half, but NK goalkeeper Knott prevented the score from occurring.

Both teams came out in the second half with more aggression, forcing turnovers in the midfield and pursuing the ball with more intensity. Spartan Cruz Piland was assessed a yellow card at the 28-minute mark in the half, marking the first one for either squad at that point of the game.

Viking Lopez managed to put in a header goal at the 16-minute mark of the second half, breaking the scoring drought for both squads and tying the game at one apiece.

Another yellow card was assessed to Viking Ethan Peck for pushing at the ten-minute mark. The Spartans began to push the ball downfield and play prevent defense, attempting to score a last-minute goal for the win. But it was not to be, and the second half ended with the score locked at 1-1, warranting a five-minute overtime.

Viking Harper Sabari landed an up-close scoring opportunity, but couldn’t put it in the net, pushing the game into a second overtime. The Spartans began to push the ball into NK territory consistently, but neither team could get the ball to find the back of the net, sending the game to penalty kicks.

Both teams went back and forth converting PKs until the Spartans missed high on one attempt, opening the door for the Vikings to claim the win. Bryan Montes De Oca sealed the win for the NK by converting his PK.

“I think we wanted this opportunity and were ready for it,” St. Peter said.

Viking Gavin Rogers pushes the ball downfield in a 2-1 NK win over the Bainbridge Spartans in the 2A state boys soccer semifinals at Federal Way Memorial Stadium May 30.