Stellar play on the defensive end of the field propelled the Interlake Saints boys soccer team to its second consecutive state championship.

Interlake midfielder Austin Ball gave his team a 1-0 lead against Mercer Island in the 16th minute of play. Ball carried the ball up the left side of the field before uncorking a difficult shot as he approached the goal, which found the lower right side of the back of the net on the far post.

It was the only goal either team would score.

Saints’ junior keeper Sam Dawson along with defenders Daniel Pratt and Elijah Vidal formed a proverbial brick wall in the defensive backfield in the final 64 minutes, preserving a 1-0 Interlake win against Mercer Island in the Class 3A state soccer title game on May 28 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Mercer Island unleashed a bevy of shots on goal throughout the game but just couldn’t convert. The majority of the game was played on Interlake’s side of the field. Interlake head coach Dan Peterson admitted withstanding Mercer Island’s onslaught of offense in the final minutes was a stressful experience.

“If you ask any coach the last three minutes feels like it takes a half an hour, especially with the ball on your end. We were just holding on, holding on. It was great to be in a position where we were holding onto a lead,” Peterson said. “Our defense was great and Sam was spectacular. I couldn’t be prouder of our guys. They competed their butts off and showed tremendous effort and tremendous heart. We just gutted this out.”

Vidal, who made several key stops in the second half, knew what was at stake as the minutes and seconds trickled off the clock after capturing the lead on Ball’s sensational goal in the 16th minute.

“It was pretty stressful actually. We were basically defending the whole game. We got one lucky goal in the beginning thanks to Austin but other than that, it was just defending,” Vidal said.

Mercer Island had won its previous three matchups against Interlake this season but the Saints reigned supreme in the contest that counted most.

“It always feels great to beat them,” Pratt said of Mercer Island. “It feels like redemption to get this win.”

Dawson, who was mobbed by the entire Interlake team near the goal following the game, was thrilled with the win but also admitted Mercer Island was at a disadvantage due to the absence of Mercer Island forward Eric Dreyer in the title contest. Dreyer received two yellow cards against Edmonds-Woodway in the semifinals and was suspended for the title game against Interlake.

“They (Mercer Island) got unlucky yesterday with the card of their MVP Eric (Dreyer). He was a key part of their offense and I think he could have helped them today. That was unfortunate for them but we were able to handle the players they did have on the field and we were able to hold them to a shutout,” Dawson said.

Winning back-to-back titles is something the Saints will cherish forever.

“It is definitely something special,” Ball said. “We started the season off rough but as the season went on we started playing better. We knew we had a chance and we just took off.”

Vidal was jovial following one of the biggest wins in Interlake history.

“I didn’t think we would get all the way to here so it is just great. Most people thought we were lucky last year so I’m glad we got it again,” he said.