Krediet due

PALMER — Colony head coach Lorie Miner calls senior Jamie Krediet “a giver.”

The Colony athlete is a college-bound player and widely seen as one of the most skilled players in the Northern Lights Conference. But often, Krediet possesses a pass-first mentality.

Miner loves her captain’s ability to distribute, but she doesn’t want Krediet to hesitate to take the ball and score. Before Monday’s contest against Wasilla, a match that would determine the NLC North’s No. 1 seed, Miner presented Krediet — the Knights’ lone senior on senior night — with a little gift. Miner gave Krediet a copy of the movie “Chariots of Fire,” a sports film bursting with themes such as seizing opportunity and striving for excellence.

Krediet said she hasn’t seen the movie, but she received the message. The senior captain scored a pair of goals within a two-minute span to lead Colony to a 2-1 win over rival Wasilla at Colony High School on Monday.

“I gave her ‘Chariots of Fire,’ read her the back and said, ‘That’s what you’re about today,’” Miner said. “’The team is expecting you to honor them. And by doing that, you have to score.’ And she did.”

Krediet converted a free kick during the 47th minute and scored again two minutes later to help Colony earn the win, secure the NLC North’s top seed and set up a quarterfinal date with Skyview Thursday at Colony High.

Krediet was excited to help her team grab that top seed.

“That was our goal,” Krediet said. “Before the game, we said that’s what matters.”

Wasilla senior Kendra Miner scored during the second minute to give the Warriors the early 1-0 lead.

“We were sitting on our heels. (Kendra) took advantage of that, and she scored,” said Miner, who doubles as not only the longtime head coach, but Kendra’s mom.

Wasilla senior goalkeeper Kamarae Kaina made a handful of solid saves during the final 20 minutes of the first half to help the Warriors take the one-goal lead into intermission. One of those saves was a stop of a point-blank shot right in front of the net during the 25th minute and a diving stab of a Brittney Anderson attempt in the 30th.

But in the second half, Krediet was able to beat Kaina.

In the 47th, Krediet tucked a free kick on the right side of the field just underneath the crossbar in the near side of the net.

“You couldn’t ask for better placement,” Miner said. “It’s right where it needed to be.”

Two minutes later, Krediet sprinted up the left side of the field, and crossed a ball that found its way into the far side of the net.

“It was supposed to be a cross, but the wind just picked up and it went right in,” Krediet said. “Not necessarily lucky, but the soccer gods were definitely helping out on that one.”

Krediet said she felt her team gain momentum in the second half.

“We kept our composure,” Krediet said. “Once we got that first goal, things got going. And when we got that second goal, that just sparked the intensity.”

Krediet nearly had the hat trick late in the game, putting a hard strike off the crossbar.

With the loss, Wasilla is now the No. 2 seed in the NLC North and will face the NLC South’s third seed, Nikiski, on Thursday.

In other first-round action, Palmer (No. 3 seed in NLC North) meets Kenai (No. 2 in NLC South) and Grace Christian (No. 4 seed NLC North) faces Soldotna (No. 1 seed NLC South).

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.