A WIN AFTER A LOSS

WASILLA — It had been a tough week for Wasilla Lake Christian School and its co-ed soccer program. But with devastating news still fresh in their minds, the Rams had a moment to celebrate.

Mere days after learning of the loss of one of their teammates, Wasilla Lake used a late goal to edge Susitna Valley 2-1 and capture the state co-ed soccer title Oct. 7 in Palmer.

On the afternoon of Oct. 4, 11-year-old Noah Meyer, the starting goalkeeper on the Rams middle school team, was killed in a car accident near Houston.

“It’s a tough deal. I’m very proud of the kids,” Wasilla Lake head coach Jeff Latta said earlier this week of his team’s ability to play through sorrow en route to winning the tournament. “Incredible highs. Incredible lows.”

Connor Cramer drove up the right side of the field and tucked a shot inside the near post during the final seconds of regulation to provide the game-wining goal, and help the Rams win the state title.

“I don’t know how you would write a better finish,” Latta said.

Latta said he invited the middle school program to be with the high school team throughout the state tournament as all continued to grieve Meyer’s death. The edge of the field was lined with Rams faithful. Latta said players flooded the field after the final whistle.

“It was bedlam there for a little bit,” Latta said.

But Latta was thrilled to see his Rams celebrate victory, especially on the heels of the loss of their friend and teammate.

“It was a pretty emotional deal,” Latta said.

Su Valley took the 1-0 lead in the game, but freshman reserve Madi Meyer came off the bench to score her first career goal and tie the game at 1. Senior goalkeeper Jordan Auldridge earned the win in net for the Rams.

The Rams finished the season 15-3-1 overall and 3-0 in the state tournament. Wasilla Lake, seeded last among the nine teams last year, was the top seed going into the tournament.

“Worst to first,” Latta said.

Wasilla Lake beat Nenana, Tri Valley and Su Valley all in the days following the death of Meyer.

“That was just a sad deal,” Latta said of Meyer. “Thursday we got everybody on the field together. We talked about it a little bit, had a little prayer session.”

And then the high school-aged athletes hit the field to play.

“Everyone was wearing ‘Noah’ on their arm bands, they put his name and number on their soccer cleats,” Latta said. “They were motivated for sure. The kids dedicated the tournament to Noah.”

Latta said the Rams typically break a huddle with a single word — team.

Over the weekend, they broke the huddle with a single word —Noah.

Latta said between the middle school and high school practices, he would routinely work with Meyer and the older goalkeepers.

“He was a good athlete, great kid,” Latta said.

During the middle school tournament in late September, in a break in action, Latta said he saw Meyer working on something at a table in the church the team was staying at. Meyer covered it up and said, “don’t look coach,” Latta said.

“Later he gave it to me. It was a picture of a ram, the Wasilla Lake mascot, and it said, thank you coach,” Latta said. “It was a real cool deal.”

Latta kept the picture in his scorebook.

Rams honored

A trio of Rams were named all-conference and all-tournament.

Mary Beth Latta, Connor Cramer and John Mark Wenger were both named to both the all-conference and all-tournaments teams. Latta earned MVP honors.

Co-ed soccer

Wasilla Lake, a local private school located on Wasilla Lake off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway near the Parks Highway, formerly competed in a league with other faith-based schools in Southcentral Alaska.

Matanuska Christian and Heritage Christian were among the schools with teams in the co-ed fall soccer league, but those schools no longer exist.

“One by one, schools dropped off,” Wasilla Lake head coach Jeff Latta said.

About five years ago, private schools and small public schools combined to form a new co-ed conference in the fall. Wasilla Lake, Delta, Nenana, Tri-Valley, Lumen Christi of Anchorage, Cook Inlet Christian Academy in Soldotna, Susitna Valley, Birchwood Christian near Chugiak and Holy Rosary in Anchorage are the nine teams in the conference.

Latta said, much like the private schools, the small public schools simply do not have enough athletes to put together a boys’ and/or girls’ team during Alaska’s spring high school soccer season.

“It gave an opportunity to play,” Latta said.

Latta said the private schools also have a middle school season.

Latta said there could be an additional team in 2018, but currently the co-ed state tournament features an eight-team bracket. The eighth and ninth seeds meet first in a play-in game, to score the eight seed in the bracket.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.