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By TIM ROCKEY
Frontiersman.com
CHUGIAK — Some of the Valley’s younger players got a good look at some of Alaska’s best competition to round out a weekend of state tournament play.
The Colony Knights beat the West Valley Wolfpack 3-2 Friday to advance to Saturday’s fourth-place game against Homer, while the Mariners defeated Wasilla 4-2 on their end of the bracket to bounce back after losing to Dimond.
In the Wasilla game, Kyler Perry got the Warriors on the scoreboard on an assist from Travis Patterson in the second half. Oleg Lozko also scored on a penalty kick.
The Mariners led 1-0 in a close first half of play, but jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second half before the Warriors could cut into that advantage.
“It’s good experience for our younger players to get some extra matches at state. Homer came out with the mindset that they wanted to advance. They outplayed us,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said.
Colony enjoyed an offensive explosion against West Valley after struggling against Juneau-Douglas.
In the second minute against the Wolfpack, a John Meaney corner kick bounced off a West Valley defender and into the net.
The Knights struck again in the sixth minute when Leo Jaschek sent a ball up ahead of the West Valley defenders for Jacob Spannagel. Spannagel would not miss, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead. Sean Collete scored off a John Meaney corner kick in the 22nd minute for the final Colony goal.
Jacob Carson scored on a penalty kick for the Wolfpack near the end of the first half.
The Wolf Pack would add another with 10 minutes left in the game on a cross headed into the net on the back post.
“Our seniors stepped up and played well,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson. “The guys decided they wanted to keep playing, build toward next year and send the seniors off right. Kubacki played well in goal. He was close on the PK and there was nothing he could do about the goal they scored late. We came out firing on all cylinders offensively.”
Homer 4, Colony 0
Colony lost to Homer 4-0 Saturday at Dimond High School in the fourth-place game. Homer scored two goals in the first half and two early in the second half to put the match out of reach.
“It was good for the second team to get out there and put some pressure on them,” Johnson said.
“Beating Wasilla twice was great this year,” senior Sean Colette said. “I think we proved to everybody that we’re among the best teams out there. Next year they’re going to be real strong, too.”
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