Colony girls enjoy big second half in win

PALMER — It took some time for the Colony Knights to get started, but by the second half, the Knights looked right at home on their new turf.

Colony scored five second-half goals and posted a 6-1 win over rival Wasilla as Colony hosted its first official game on turf.

“It’s absolutely fantastic,” Colony head coach Lorie Miner said of seeing her team play an outdoor match on turf in the Valley in early April.

Bristyl Baker, Zoe Hixenbaugh, Peyton Johnstone, Sabrena Trenton and Ariana Saxon each scored during the second half for the Knights (1-0).

“Having the 40 minutes under your belt for the first game, having that time to make the adjustments,” Miner said of reasons for scoring surge in the second half.

Ali Baker scored within the first two minutes of regulation to give the Knights the early 1-0 lead. Alexa Starr tied the game for Wasilla, scoring on a direct kick during the 20th minute.

But after playing to a 1-1 tie during the first half, it was all Colony in the second.

Bristyl Baker gave pushed Colony’s lead to 2-1 during the 47th minute, lifting a shot into the right corner of the net from about 20 yards out.

Four minutes later, the Knights posted their first of two goals during a two-minute span. Hixenbaugh drove into the box and slipped a shot into the net during the 51st minute, and Johnstone struck a shot off the Wasilla goalkeeper’s fingertips at the 53rd minute.

Later in the second half, Hixenbaugh took a shot off a Colony cross. The ball was left alive in the box, and Trenton was able to beat the keeper 1-on-1.

Nine minutes later, Saxon added a goal to round out the scoring.

In addition to the offensive outburst, Miner was also pleased with her team’s work at the other end of the field.

“Our defense didn’t get challenged a whole lot today, but when Wasilla made their breaks, our defense was there to take care of the ball,” Miner said.

After the match, Wasilla second-year head coach Patrick O’Neill said there’s a lot the Warriors can take and learn from the match.

“We’re inexperienced and it really showed,” O’Neill said. “They’re got a strong team. It was a combination of our inexperience and their skill.”

Contact Mat-Su Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.