Girls secure top seed, boys remain unbeaten in conference

PALMER — A rookie kept the pressure and a veteran cashed in for the Colony Knights.

Senior captain Ali Baker knocked in a late goal, on a play kept alive by freshman Peyton Johnstone, to help the Knights secure a 1-0 win over Grace Christian School at Colony High Thursday evening.

“I just knew I had to shoot. We only had three minutes left in the game,” said Baker, who recorded the game-winner during the 77th minute.

The one-goal win clinched a top seed for the Knights in the upcoming Northern Lights Conference Championships. Colony (3-0-0 in North Division play) and Grace (2-1-0) both entered the match undefeated in the division.

“This is the only match this season I’ve been truly nervous to play,” Baker said. “We played a good match.”

Johnstone and senior Savannah Nash recorded assists on the play, set up by junior Rebecca Mackey’s corner kick.

Mackey put the ball in Grace Christian’s goalie box with the corner kick from the right side. With the ball bouncing around the box, Johnstone kept the play alive with a header. The ball came out to Baker, parked on the left side, and Baker ripped a shot into the back of the net.

Colony head coach Lorie Miner praised Baker and Johnstone for their work up front, and Mackey for another successful corner kick.

“Mackey started it with a great corner kick. She’s been delivering all year,” Miner said. “We’ve scored, I think, three goals or four goals at least off corners, off Mackey’s delivery.”

Colony finished with 17 shots in the match. Johnstone had at least two quality opportunities during the final 20 minutes of play.

“We had a lot more shots. I knew at some point in the match the ball had to go in,” Baker said.

Colony goalkeeper Tess McKittrick made her biggest save during the final minute of the game. With a late corner kick from the left side, Grace put the ball in the center of a group right in front of the Colony goal. McKittrick rose from the crowd and made the catch before hitting the ground.

With the No. 1 seed in the North locked up, Colony will cap its regular season with road matches against Skyview today and Homer on Saturday.

Colony boys

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PALMER — The Colony girls officially clinched the top seed in the Northern Lights Conference North Division, and the Colony boys made a big step toward doing exactly the same with a 4-0 win over Grace Christian Thursday at Colony High.

Colony improved to 2-0-1 in North Division play and is tied with Wasilla (2-0-1).

Colony caps its season with road games against Skyview and Homer. Wasilla ends its regular season with home dates against Kenai and Soldotna. Even if both teams go 2-0, Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said he believes his team owns the necessary tiebreakers that decide seeding.

Grace is now 1-2-0 in North Division play.

Nick Blohm and Chris Olsen supplied first-half goals for the Knights, while Jake Spannegel and Kyle Bolam scored during the final 40 minutes.

Colony’s Nick Blohm heads the ball during Colony’s win over Grace Christian Thursday.

ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman