Knights stay hot in rainy game against Bulldogs

PALMER — Hard second-half rain falling on Pride Field could not cool down the Colony girls’ soccer team.

Neither could the Nikiski Bulldogs, who fell to the Knights 6-0 Friday night.

Peyton Johnstone and Kaylee Mahler each scored a pair of goals, and Maddy Zmuda recorded the shutout in the net for Colony.

The Knights’ offense was overwhelming for Nikiski. Colony spent much of the first half easily controlling both the ball and the pace of the game on the Nikiski side of the field.

Johnstone found the back of the net twice in the first half, assisted by Alyssa Jensen on her first goal and Sahara Iverson on the second. Johnstone and lone senior Bristyl Baker lead a talented group of Knights whom head coach Lorie Miner believes has the opportunity to enjoy a successful season, if they take it one game at a time.

The Knights’ offense was so efficient that freshman goalkeeper Zmuda only had to stop one shot the whole game. Zmuda started the season as a position player and has filled in for injured starter Beth McCullough.

“She’s done a great job,” Miner said. “This will be a great confidence booster. It’s a great shutout for her.”

Mahler scored her first goal on an assist by Natalie Nordland about 10 minutes into the second half. With the Knights carrying the big lead, the team did not let up on its intensity, hustling to push the ball up the field well into the second half. Miner made an adjustment to her team’s strategy, pushing her defense up closer to midfield, and it worked. The Knights scored four second-half goals.

Iverson scored on an assist from Johnstone midway through the second half. Ripley Wakaliuk ripped a shot into the net following a corner kick to score the Knights sixth of the contest.

Nikiski’s lone shot attempt came late in the second half when the outcome was determined.

The Knights advance to a record of 4-2-1. Miner is in her 24th year at the helm of the Colony soccer program.

Colony boys 6, Nikiski 1

Jake Forstner sent three goals into the Nikiski net to lead the Knights to their 10th victory.

The Colony offense was unstoppable. Senior Russell Diotte started the onslaught two minutes into the game, easily beating the Nikiski keeper on an assist from Caleb Covington. Alex Valdez knifed his way through the Nikiski defense less than a minute later to score a goal of his own, on an assist from Cameron Shaw.

Head coach Jeremy Johnson liked what he saw from his team, not allowing the Nikiski defenders to charge by getting rid of the ball to open teammates efficiently. Johnson referred to hockey legend Bobby Orr to explain his team’s strategy.

“If I have the puck, the other team doesn’t have it. That’s pretty good defense if you ask me,” Johnson said, quoting Orr.

The same held true for Johnson’s defending-state-champion Knights Friday. The Knights spent nearly the entire first half playing opportunistic offense, keeping the Nikiski scoring chances low.

Sophomore Forstner scored the first of his trio of goals midway through the first half on an assist from Alex Valdez.

It wasn’t until late in the first half that Nikiski’s Dylan Jackson shot the ball off his head at Knight goalkeeper Zach Zmuda from point blank range that the Bulldogs had a decent chance at scoring.

But then senior Jao Marques scored with his left foot near the end of the first half, and Colony held a big lead at 4-0.

Forstner tallied twice in the second half, sending two shots into the net from nearly the same spot, with about two minutes in between goals. The Knights had risen above the Bulldogs 6-0.

Some confusion resulted in an unfortunate collision. After the Knights believed they had a throw-in, the ball was awarded to Nikiski who raced toward their scoring chance. Zmuda collided with the Nikiski forward racing for the ball, and left the game after getting up off the turf minutes later. With the backup keeper in, Nico Castro spoiled the shutout and scored the Bulldogs’ first of the game.

Johnson feels that his strong team has room to improve, despite the offensive fireworks display put on Friday night.

“We feel like we have a good team, and if we hit on all cylinders we can make a three-day run at region and state championships,” Johnson said. “Team play and still finishing is something we need to work on.”

The Knights are now 10-3-1.