Colony boys open soccer season with win

ANCHORAGE — After controlling play for most of the first half and into the second, the Colony Knights watched as West Valley put together a counter-attack, moved the ball quickly up the field and notched the first shot of the match.

It was a one-goal lead for the Wolfpack, but also a wake-up call for the Knights.

Colony scored three times during the final 20 minutes to post a 3-1 win over West Valley during its season opener at The Dome in Anchorage Friday afternoon.

“It gave us a sense of urgency,” longtime Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said by cellphone. “We were holding the ball, but we weren’t making the effort to score.”

Captain Ben Atkinson led the Colony rally, scoring a pair of goals in the game. Ben Sande also scored to help Colony grab the win. Sean Haley earned the victory in the Colony net.

Atkinson scored the first two goals of the game for CHS. His first score was set up by a long throw-in by Alex Kessler. Atkinson scored during the 62nd minute to tie the score at 1.

Six minutes later, Atkinson gave his team the lead. Austin Richardson created the play by forcing a turnover in the Wolfpack end. Atkinson was able to settle the ball about 30 yards out and ripped a knuckling shot into the upper half of the net.

In the 81st minute, during injury time, Artie Fonov put a shot on goal. The West Valley goalkeeper made the save, but Sande picked up the loose ball and knocked in the rebound.

“It was a good effort for the first game,” Johnson said. “The boys worked really hard.”

Daniel Remington scored the lone goal for West Valley.

The Colony-West Valley match continues a tradition of the nonconference teams meeting during the first week of the season at The Dome in Anchorage.

“We’re guaranteed to have that match,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to have that quality opponent.”

Colony is slated to host its first home game Thursday against South Anchorage at 7 p.m.