Boys soccer: Knights use youth to upset Wasilla

May 20, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - With the lead of 12 seniors, the Wasilla Warriors had rolled through the regular season unscathed.

But on Saturday, a pair of Colony freshmen helped the Knights hand the previously unbeaten Warriors their first loss of the season.

Freshman Aaron Richardson converted a pair of penalty kicks, while fellow freshman Elliot Gilbert stymied the potent Wasilla offense in Colony's 3-0 win over the Warriors at Wasilla High School.

With the win Colony (7-3-2 overall and 3-0-1 in the Northern Lights Conference North Division) earned the top seed from the North in the upcoming NLC Tournament, while Wasilla (10-1-1, 3-1-0) now has to settle for the No. 2 seed once region tournament play starts Friday at Wasilla High School.

Richardson, playing in just his 12th match in a Colony uniform, knocked in his first penalty kick attempt of the game in the 37th minute and added another in the 75th minute of play.

Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson tabbed Richardson as the go-to guy on penalty kicks after he noticed the freshman consistently converting opportunities in practice.

&#8220A few times a year we do shootouts at the end of practice, and Aaron, he just knocks'em in,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he isn't concerned about sending the freshman out in the high-pressure situation.

&#8220It doesn't really matter. If (a freshman) can put it in the back of the net, I'm satisfied,” Johnson said. &#8220If I feel they can make it, I'm going to put it on their shoulders.”

Richardson said there is pressure, but the key is just focusing.

&#8220Pick a site and go after it,” Richardson said.

Richardson picked right in the 37th minute, sending a low and hard shot that actually deflected off the hands of Wasilla goalkeeper Andreas Baltes.

&#8220He's a good goaltender,” Richardson said of Baltes. &#8220I didn't want to miss it, and then I kicked it right to him.”

But fortunately for the Knights, the ball squirted by Baltes and rolled into the net.

Richardson actually faced Wasilla reserve goalkeeper Stephen Wehe on his second attempt. Just prior to the penalty kick, Baltes was issued a red card and ejected from the game.

Richardson said he was more confident on his second attempt, matching up against a keeper that just entered the contest.

While Richardson was providing the heroics on offense, Gilbert was busy thwarting numerous Wasilla attempts on the other side of the field.

&#8220Elliot has really stepped up,” said Colony sophomore Bridger Van Ness, who scored off a header in the 52nd minute. &#8220Elliot steps it up in the big games.”

Van Ness called Gilbert's effort is arguably the best of his young career.

&#8220It probably is,” Johnson said. &#8220He really came out and controlled the box well.”

Wasilla - a team with 49 total goals entering the contest - had a number of legitimate opportunities on the Colony net, but Gilbert was able to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard.He snagged Josh Campbell's long looping kick in the 22nd minute, a shot that nearly went right under the crossbar.

A Jordan Ingalls jab in the 32nd minute brought Gilbert to his knees, but the freshman caught the short and hard attempt.

In the 38th minute, Gilbert rolled across the turf to prevent Ingalls from booting in a Jimmy Sliwa cross.

Gilbert survived a collision with Wasilla junior Adam Friese in the 58th minute, and managed to stop Sliwa's hard shot from a tough angle.

In the 61st minute, a Vladimir Dahl shot hit Gilbert in the chest and sent him to his back. As Friese crashed the net the ball got away from the Colony keeper, but Gilbert was able to get a hand on it and knock the shot away.

&#8220I thought their keeper played really well today,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said. &#8220Colony came out, and today was their day.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.