Moose, Knights girls tie; Colony boys blank Palmer

PALMER — Colony surprised Palmer early, but the Moose were inches away from stunning the Knights during the final seconds of a Tuesday soccer matchup.

Palmer sophomore Kiana Till pushed a shot just beyond the Colony post right before the final whistle of a 3-3 tie at Colony High School.

“We had a good opportunity at the end,” Palmer head coach Harmony Chadwick said after the tie. “They’ve been doing a really good job of creating opportunities. We just need to get some more in the back of the net.”

Till scored twice during the tie to help Palmer recover from an early deficit. Sahara Iverson, one of a handful of newcomers to the Colony varsity roster, scored during the first minute of play to give the Knights the 1-0 lead. Till scored the first of her two Palmer goals to tie the game at 1. Later in the first half, Rebecca Mackey found the back of the net to give the Knights the 2-1 lead.

The match was also back-and-forth in the second half, which included a second Till goal and a score on a penalty kick by Palmer’s Charlotte Forrest.

Autumn Richardson recorded Colony’s second-half goal.

Both teams are young, and both head coaches said they are still experimenting with the lineup.

“We had people at new positions, we mixed it up,” Chadwick said.

Chadwick noted sophomore Carly Venzke, who made the move from sweeper to the center midfield.

“She did great,” Chadwick said.

Longtime Colony head coach Lorie Miner said the Knights are also busy putting the new pieces together.

“It’s a rebuilding year for us,” Miner said. “We’ve got five returning players, and the rest are new and freshmen. We’re trying to get the team concept, and trust.”

Colony boys 9, Palmer 0

PALMER — Colony struck early and often, and played to a 9-0 Northern Lights Conference win over rival Palmer Tuesday at Colony High School.

The Knights scored in the first, second and fifth minutes of the game, to build the early lead.

Junior Harrison Menard notched a hat trick during the first 12 minutes of the match. Sophomore Ben Sande scored two first-half goals. Senior Asher Dale also scored early in the game. Senior captain Ben Atkinson recorded three assists during the first 11 minutes. Sande enjoyed a four-point first half, with two goals and two assists.

Jake Forstner and Ben Matlock bagged a goal and assist each in the second half. Cameron Shaw also scored during the final 40 minutes.

Sean Haley notched the shutout in the Knights net.

Colony boys 6, Lathrop 0

PALMER — Much like they did Tuesday during a win over rival Palmer, Colony used a quick goal to grab the momentum against the Lathrop Malemutes on Thursday.

Ben Sande scored in the sixth minute to spark Colony and help the Knights earn a 6-0 nonconference win over Lathrop.

Harrison Menard scored twice for Colony in the win. Chris Olsen and Kyle Bolam also scored goals.

Austin Richardson, who recorded the assist on the Sande goal, also helped set up Olsen’s score in the 19th minute. Richards sent a through ball up the right side to Menard, who sent a one-timer across the face of the goal. Olsen was at the other end, and used a diving header to score the goal.

Asher Dale assisted on Menard’s goal in the 22nd minute, as Colony took the 3-0 lead.

In the second half, Chaz Stephens tossed a long throw-in down the field, and Bolam flicked the ball into the back of thenet.

Also in the second half, Menard tapped in the rebound after Ben Atkinson ripped a shot on goal.

Palmer girls 6, Houston 1

PALMER — Kiana Till netted a hat trick to lead Palmer to a 6-1 Northern Lights Conference win over Houston Monday at Palmer High’s Machetanz Field.

Avery Parker scored twice in the win, and Haley Hanson added a goal for the Moose.