Despite turnover, Wasilla coaches optimistic about 2012 soccer season

WASILLA — There will be a new look to both varsity soccer teams at Wasilla High this fall.

On the girls’ side, Patrick O’Neill enters his first season as head coach and welcomes a flood of new talent to his starting lineup.

On the boys’ side, longtime head coach Blake Livingston is back for another season. But the defending Northern Lights Conference champions also have plenty of holes to fill in the lineup.

Regardless of the turnover, both coaches are optimistic about the groups that will hit the pitch for the 2012 season.

Livingston has had an opportunity to see his boys in live game action. The Warriors suffered a 3-1 loss to West Valley in their season opener last week at The Dome in Anchorage.

Despite the loss, Livingston was happy with things he saw.

“I think our team put forth a fairly gritty effort. We won most of the 50-50 balls, and we were down in their end a lot,” Livingston said after the match. “I feel pretty good about my team’s effort. I think the potential is there.”

Kyler Perry, who scored Wasilla’s lone goal against the Wolfpack, is one of three captains on the team, joining veterans Rell Sturdevant and Travis Patterson.

“(Patterson) anchors our back line. He’s a really good player. He really stood out last year. Rell will probably play both in the midfield and up top for us. He’s really come into his own this year. Kyler is a special player. At times he’s probably going to put the team on his back,” Livingston said of his captains.

Livingston also noted Chance Morrison, a skilled junior who will play outside midfield, and seniors Chancie Hanson and Cole Miller.

Hanson, a Wasilla hockey standout, opted to play soccer as a senior.

“He’s really athletic. He played soccer when he was younger,” Livingston said. “In just two to three weeks, you can tell his touch is really coming around.”

Livingston also noted sophomores Oleg Lazko, Ethan Keenan and Cash McGregor. Lazko could be another weapon up top for the Warriors.

Junior Corey Hogan, a converted outside midfielder, will start in goal for the Warriors.

“You could tell as the game wore on he became more and more confident,” Livingston said of Hogan’s first career varsity start at goalkeeper.

With only about three starters returning, Livingston said the captains will be very key for the Warriors.

“They’re leadership is definitely critical to our success,” Livington said. “The combination of their leadership and a real blue collar effort is what we’re going to need to be successful.”

Livingston said the season goals are to try to make a strong run in the region tournament and advance to the state tournament again.

O’Neill is a longtime soccer coach who was at the helm St. Cloud-Appolo High School boys soccer team in his home state of Minnesota for 14 years. He’s directed clinics and coached at the club level, but is new to soccer in Alaska.

O’Neill heads into his first season as the Wasilla girls head coach eager to learn all about his new team, players and opponents. So far, he likes what he sees.

“I’ve been really impressed with the effort and the energy,” O’Neill said. “The girls, I think, bought into a new coach. They came in with an open mind. So far I’ve been really happy with the way things are looking.”

Like Livingston, O’Neill has plenty of holes to fill after Wasilla graduated a number of starters from a team that finished third in the NLC and advanced to the state tournament.

But O’Neill certainly has talent to work with.

“We’ve got a good group of seniors, good group of leaders and a really talented freshman class came in,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said, in his experience, inserting new players into the starting lineup is not necessarily a bad thing.

“I’ve always had a theory, and I told the seniors this, this is not like we have to throw away a season with rebuilding,” O’Neill said. “Especially with the skill of the youth programs, will can fill those spots with younger, hungry players out there to prove something.”

O’Neill said a unified veteran group will certainly help the Warriors’ cause. That group is led by midfielder Nikki Vanni and sweeper Erin Murray.

Murray anchors a back line that could be a strength of the team, O’Neill said. Taylor Steiner and Alexis Butcher are also in that group.

“The defensive back three all return. That’s huge,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said four freshmen have also made the varsity roster. That group includes Alexa Starr.

“She’s one of the most talented freshmen I’ve seen in high school in my time,” the longtime soccer coach said. “She’s one of them I heard about ahead of time.”

O’Neill also noted senior captain Mikaela Hull.

While Livingston and the Wasilla boys had the chance to get one match in, O’Neill is still waiting for his chance to see his team in a live match.

“We’re chomping at the bit,” O’Neill said.

The Wasilla boys and girls will travel to The Dome in Anchorage to face rival Colony April 11. The girls face off at 10:30 a.m. and the boys will follow.

*** Editor’s note: This is the first piece of a four-part series previewing local 4A high school soccer teams for the 2012 season. See upcoming editions of the Frontiersman for features about the Colony, Houston and Palmer programs.