Boys soccer: Knights deal loss to Kards

PALMER - For the second game in a row the Colony Knights have had a player score three goals in a single game.

On Wednesday, Jarrod Carney was the star, with three goals and a pair of assists in a 7-1 rout of visiting Soldotna.

A stiff wind was gusting throughout Friday's game against Kenai. But it was not the only thing blowing by the Kardinal's defense. Senior forward Gerald Miller was seemingly everywhere in a 6-1 victory over the Kenai.

He duplicated Carney's performance on Wednesday with three goals and two assists.

&#8220You could say I was motivated by Jarrod's performance,” Miller said. &#8220I think that game sparked something in the whole team. We've lifted our level of play in the last two games.”

Miller didn't take long to introduce himself to Kenai. Just 74 seconds into the game, he poked the ball over diving Kenai goalie Justin Wisniewski to score the game's first goal.

Five minutes later he nearly doubled the score. Miller's deep shot into the left corner got past Wisniewski, but bounced off the far post.

&#8220I thought I had that one,” Miller said. &#8220It would have been a pretty goal.”

A minute after nearly going down 2-0, the Kardinals tied the score when a Kyle Latz shot deflected just beyond the reach of Colony goalie Ian Walton.

&#8220Ian said he had that ball all the way until it was deflected,” Colony coach Jeremy Johnson said. &#8220Even after the deflection he still managed to get his hands on the ball. Another inch and he would have had the shutout.”

The Kenai goal did little to slow the Colony onslaught, led by Miller.

In the 28th minute Miller slipped a shot past a diving Wisniewski to give Colony a 2-1 lead. He completed his hat trick in the second half with a duplicate of his first half miss. This time the ball bounced off the post and into the net.

Carney scored the first of his two goals in the closing seconds of first half. Carney drilled a nifty turn-around goal giving the Knights a 3-1 lead heading into the break.

John Jensen added a late goal for the Knights.

The game wasn't all about offense. The goalkeepers for both teams managed to come up with big plays of their own. Both keepers stopped a penalty kick. Walton was the first to do it with a diving save off a shot from Dusty Ward late in the first half.

Wisniewski turned aside a penalty shot from Carney midway through the second half.

&#8220It's not every day you see too goaltenders turn away penalty shots in the same game,” Johnson said. &#8220I don't like to see it when it happens against us, but love it when our goalie makes the big play.”

The win improves the Knights to 2-0-1 on the season and in conference play. Kenai slips to 0-2-0 on the season, and in conference action.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.