Tacoma Stars Reserves, Bellingham United Set Up WISL Championship Showdown

Tacoma Stars Reserves 7, South Sound FC 3 — WISL Men’s Playoffs Final, Sat., Feb. 28

Tacoma Stars Reserves pulled away in the second half to defeat South Sound FC 7-3 in WISL Men’s Playoff semifinal action, securing their place in the championship match.

Tacoma came out strong in the opening quarter, building a 2-0 lead on goals from Andres Zuluaga and Diego Hernandez. South Sound responded late in the first as Collin Labranche found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1.

After a scoreless second quarter, Tacoma regained control in the third. Gil De La Luz extended the lead before a South Sound power-play goal from Craig Johnson made it 3-2. Tacoma answered quickly with a power-play strike from Josh Szidik to restore a two-goal cushion heading into the fourth.

The Stars Reserves took over in the final quarter, pouring in three straight goals from AJ Nitzel (two) and Rainier Schlekewey to put the game out of reach. South Sound added a late power-play goal from Ryan Griffith, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.

Tacoma edged South Sound in shots 7-4 and showcased balanced scoring throughout the lineup. Nitzel led the way with two goals, while multiple players contributed in a well-rounded offensive effort as Tacoma advanced to the final.

 Bellingham United 8, Everett City FC 0 — WISL Men’s Playoffs Final, Sat., Feb. 28

Bellingham United delivered a dominant performance on Saturday night, shutting out Everett City FC 8-0 in the WISL Men’s Playoff semifinal to punch their ticket to another championship match.

Bellingham set the tone early and never looked back, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter behind a pair of goals from Joar Tidblom, both assisted by Richard Henderson. The visitors continued to build momentum in the second quarter, adding three more goals, including another from Tidblom to complete his hat trick, along with tallies from Christian Caro and Judah Straight to make it 5-0 at halftime.

The offensive pressure didn’t let up in the second half. Caro struck again in the third quarter off an assist from Ivan Colin, extending the lead to six. In the fourth, Miles Tennant and Edward Longhurst capped off the scoring as Bellingham cruised to the 8-0 final.

Bellingham outshot Everett 20-14 in the match, including a strong third-quarter surge. Everett generated all 14 of its shots in the opening quarter but was held without a shot the rest of the way as Bellingham’s defense tightened and controlled the game.

Tidblom led the way with three goals, while Henderson contributed three assists in the win as Bellingham now advances to yet another title match.