Colony boys return to DI state soccer title match, Moose boys fall just short of DII final

The Colony Knights boys soccer squad is headed back to the championship game, and the Palmer boys fell just short of a spot in a final.

Colony, the defending Division I state champ, edged Dimond 1-0 during the ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships.

Axel Simeck scored the game-winner on a play set up by a Finn Hoffman corner kick. Mason Irsik earned the shutout in the Knights net.

The win sets up a rematch of the 2023 title bout. The second-seeded Knights move forward to face top-seeded South Anchorage Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Wasilla High School.

Colony beat South 2-1 to win the crown last year. South beat fourth-seeded West Anchorage 1-0 in the other semifinal.

In the Division II boys semifinals, Palmer dropped a heartbreaking loss to top-seeded Soldotna.

SoHi’s Simon Willets converted a penalty kick during stoppage play near the end of regulation to give the Stars a 4-3 win over the Moose.

Aidan Houser tied the score at 3 with less than three minutes left in regulation. Houser, a Moose senior, knocked in a high shot from beyond the 20 and tucked it just underneath the crossbar. That answered Nuno Venturi’s goal, which gave SoHi a 3-2 lead with about 20 minutes left.

Cole Miller and Fischer Adams also scored for Palmer.

The Moose will play Ketchikan in the third-place game Saturday at 9 a.m. at Wasilla High.

The Colony girls will also play for third in the Division I tournament. Top-seeded South Anchorage scored a 2-0 win over the Knights in the semifinals. The Knights, the fifth seed, face Lathrop Saturday at 1:15 p.m. at Colony High.

The Palmer girls stayed alive in the Division II tournament with a 4-3 win over Monroe Catholic in an elimination match. Kaylee Gallego and Greta Campfield scored two goals each for the Moose.

Palmer will play conference rival Grace Christian Saturday at 9 a.m. in the fourth-place game.

Contact the Frontiersman at sports@frontiersman.com.