A second half surge propelled the Interlake Saints boys soccer team into the Class 3A state semifinals.

The Saints, who trailed Columbia River 1-0 in the Class 3A quarterfinals at halftime, recorded three unanswered goals in the second half en route to a 3-1 victory on May 21. Spencer Baird scored in the 38th minute, giving Columbia River a 1-0 lead.

The one goal advantage didn’t last long.

Interlake players Daniel Pratt (43rd minute), Austin Ball (52nd minute) and Tay Aras (55th minute) each scored a goal in the second half as the Saints registered a comeback win with their season on the line. Osiel Monfeda, Owen Gortner and Ball each recorded an assist as well.

Interlake head coach Dan Peterson said his team played proficiently in the first 40 minutes but just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.

“We just wanted to continue to do what we had done and we were sure if we kept playing the way we did, we would figure out a way to hopefully get a couple of goals. There wasn’t a feeling of anxiety at halftime,” Peterson said. “We were just hoping for a better result.”

The Saints have won four consecutive loser-out games to reach the Class 3A semifinals. Interlake defeated Bellevue in a home game on May 11 but have won their past three loser-out games on the road. The Saints traveled to Seattle on May 14, Spokane on May 17 and Vancouver on May 21.

“It’s definitely been a long road. Last year we won that KingCo championship game and got to host a few games. This year we lose that KingCo Championship game and we have played five games in two weeks and only one of them has been at Interlake,” Peterson said. “It has been a struggle but no one has ever hung their heads. We have always focused on the next game. We didn’t look at it like we had to win four in a row. We focused on how we needed to win the next one and see where we will go from there. That has been our focus.”

Interlake will face Lakeside in the Class 3A semifinals at 2 p.m. on May 27 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. It will be a matchup between the 2014 Class 3A state champ (Lakeside) and the 2015 state champ (Interlake).

“It is kind of fun to have the last two champions playing each other. We definitely know they are a very strong team. You are not going to make it to the final four and not play somebody good. We are going to give it our best shot against them,” Peterson said.