Six Whatcom County boys soccer teams remain in contention for a district title after the first round of tournaments concluded May 6.
Top-seeded Blaine will meet No. 2 Meridian for the 1A District 1 title at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Blaine High School.
No. 2 Bellingham and No. 3 Lynden will face off in the 2A District 1 semifinals at 7 p.m. the same day at Bellingham High School, while undefeated top seed Squalicum hosts No. 4 Sehome at Civic Stadium, also with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Here’s a recap of the May 6 district playoff matches.
1A District 1 tournament, first round
No. 1 Blaine 6, No. 4 Nooksack Valley 0
Blaine (10-2-2) continued its dominant season in a shutout win over NV (5-12-1) at Blaine High School.
The Pioneers were coming off a 1-0 victory over Mount Baker in the play-in, but they were unable to slow down a Blaine team that had outscored its opponents 51-11 coming into the game.
The Borderites secured their fourth-straight shutout and seventh of the season. Seniors Joel Barrientos-Estrada and Justin Pluschakov netted goals, as well as freshman Dmitriy Yuryev, sophomore Isaiah Zuch and junior Xavier Blanco.
One of Blaine’s two losses on the season was a narrow 2-1 victory for Meridian on April 20, and the two will now meet in the district title game. The Borderites won an early-season matchup against the Trojans, 3-2, on March 28.
No. 2 Meridian 4, No. 3 Lynden Christian 2
Meridian (11-3-3) hung on to beat LC (6-7-2) in a first-round rematch of last year’s district championship at Blaine High School. The Lyncs won the 2022 matchup, 3-1.
The teams split the regular season series 1-1, with LC taking the most recent match 1-0 on April 26.
A district championship win would send the Trojans to bi-districts for the first time since 2019.
LC will need two wins to advance, beginning with a game against NV in a first-round consolation game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Blaine High School.
2A District 1 tournament, first round
No. 1 Squalicum 2, Anacortes 0
Squalicum (14-0-3), the reigning 2A state champion, preserved its undefeated record and downed Anacortes (5-8-4) at Civic Stadium.
The Storm has picked up where it left off a year ago and is now one win away from its second-straight district title game appearance. One more win guarantees the team a spot in the 2A state tournament.
Heading into its semifinals matchup with Sehome, Squalicum has not lost a game since May 14, 2022.
No. 2 Bellingham 2, No. 7 Cedarcrest 1
Bellingham junior Aidan Mcguire takes a free kick during the 2-1 win over Cedarcrest.
(Finn Wendt/Cascadia Daily News)
A strong first-half effort propelled Bellingham (10-5) to a narrow first-round victory over Cedarcrest (4-10-4) at Civic Stadium.
Senior Finnegan Burwell and junior Judah Straight scored for the Bayhawks in the first half, and Bellingham’s defense held up well enough to secure the win.
The victory also ensured Bellingham’s season is an improvement from a year ago when it lost 4-0 to Burlington-Edison in the first round.
A semifinals win would send the Bayhawks to their first district title game since 2018.
No. 3 Lynden 3, No. 6 Archbishop Murphy 2
Lynden (9-4-3) — which hadn’t strung together more than two wins in a row all season — has found its footing, and the Lions won their fourth-straight match with a victory over Archbishop Murphy (7-9-1) at Bender Fields to open districts.
With 12 seniors on the team, the Lions are hoping to make a deeper run than last season when they lost 2-1 to Bellingham in the consolation semifinals, falling short of the 2A state tournament.
They will face the Bayhawks once again on Tuesday, May 9, with a shot at revenge. Bellingham won the regular season matchup 1-0 on April 25.
Lynden has not reached the district championship since 2011.
No. 4 Sehome 3, No. 5 Burlington-Edison 0
Sehome’s Ben Peterson takes a shot on goal but has it blocked April 11 during a 5-0 win over Ferndale.
(Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Sehome (9-4-2) earned its eighth shutout victory of the season, knocking off defending state runners-up Burlington-Edison (8-8) in the first round.
It’s the third time the Mariners have beaten the Tigers this season after losing to them in the district semifinals last season, 1-0.
Sehome is hoping to reach its first district championship since 2019 when it faces top-seeded Squalicum in the semifinals.
