Palmer prevails: Moose earn first state soccer title in 30 years

Eighty minutes of regulation, a pair of 10-minute overtime periods, two five-minute sudden death frames and penalty kick shootout. The Palmer Moose went through this not just once, but twice on back-to-back days. Along the way, the Moose found a way to beat the top two teams in the bracket and earn the chance to rush the field and celebrate a state title.

Palmer used penalty kicks to outlast top-seed and defending state champ Soldotna 3-2 in the ASAA/First National Bank Division II State Soccer Championships title match Saturday afternoon at Wasilla High School. The victory came less than 24 hours after the Moose did the same thing to beat second-seeded Ketchikan in the state semifinals.

“I think that we have a lot of grit as a team, and we don’t stop for anything,” Palmer senior goalkeeper Kellen Kinneen said after the win.

Kinneen stood in net throughout the tourney for the Moose, including back-to-back matches settled by a shoutout. Kineen admitted he felt the weight of the situations.

“I feel like I have everything on my back, and I need to do this,” the senior said.

Kineen certainly had the support of his teammates.

“He stepped up. We had an injury to one of our other keepers, and he stepped up and has just been playing amazing,” Palmer junior Cole Miller said. “I’m super happy for him. He had some great saves and played amazing this whole tournament.”

And Kineen’s teammates also supported him by continuing to extend the shootout.

“It feels really helpful and nice that I know my teammates can do that for me, and I’m very grateful for them to keep on trying and getting those saves,” Kinneen said.

It took nine rounds to decide the shootout in the championship match. Bodie Miller went to the left side of the goal to score Palmer’s final penalty kick, and a SoHi miss cemented the win for the Moose. Parker Johnson, Finn Adams, Kaleb Von Gunten, Noah Gallego and Storm Schadee also converted penalty kicks during the shootout.

Palmer head coach Blake Livingston praised his team’s drive and commitment.

“It just shows the grit that our team has and the love they have for each other. They just kept playing no matter what,” Livingston said.

The win gave Palmer its second boys soccer state championship in school history, and its first in 30 years. Livingston’s dad, Rich, coached the 1995 Moose to a state title. Livingston’s son, Landon, is a freshman on the team this year, giving the Livingstons three generations of state champs at PHS. But that’s not the only connection. Parker Johnson and Porter Johnson’s dad, Heath, was a member of the championship team in 1995.

Saturday marked Palmer’s first appearance in a state soccer title game since 1997. The Moose finished as the runner-up. Elijah VonGunten and Kaleb VonGunten’s dad, Brian, was the goalkeeper for the 1997 squad, also coached by Rich Livingston.

Blake Livingston, a 1991 Palmer High grad, said the Moose soccer family also extends past bloodlines.

“We always say Palmer on three, family on six,” Livingston said. “We really are like a family. You see that out there. They play for each other.”

The Moose found themselves trailing early for the second day in a row. Ketchikan took a 1-0 lead on the semis. On Saturday, SoHi converted a penalty kick just 20 minutes in to jump ahead. But Palmer fought back.

“That just shows the type of players, the type of team that we are,” Cole Miller said. “We’re not going to stop. That truly shows the character of the boys on this team.”

Senior Elijah Von Gunten, who set the program record for goals in a season earlier this year, knocked in a cross from the right side during the 62nd minute to tie the score at 1.

Cole Miller gave Palmer its first lead, a 2-1 advantage, during the first overtime period. Miller took a ball from midfield, weaved through the defense, split a pair of Stars and went left to score.

Soldotna managed to tie the score in the second overtime period. Livingston praised his players for continuing to work, and not let the Stars steal the momentum.

“I think they found the energy and played for each other,” he said.

Livingston also said the number of multisport athletes Palmer has on the squad is a big part of the success, especially when battling through 200 minutes of match time in two days.

“There’s speed and athleticism. But there are also guys who have played at a high level. It doesn’t necessarily have to be soccer. But you see it out there,” he said.

This Palmer team has a handful of players who helped PHS win the Division II hockey state championship in February. Jackson Charton was the leader on Palmer High’s swimming team, and Cole Miller is a national champion in gymnastics.

“I think it’s a huge part of our culture,” Livingston said.

Palmer also used the win to help relieve a heartbreaking loss to SoHi in the 2024 state semifinals. The Stars converted a penalty kick during stoppage play at the end of regulation to edge the Moose 4-3.

On Friday, Palmer converted all five penalty kicks in the tiebreaker following the overtime periods to beat Ketchikan 4-3 in the semis. Johnson, Cole Miller, Elijah Von Gunten, Adams and Kaleb Von Gunten each found the back of the net,

Palmer and Ketchikan were locked at 3-3 after sudden death overtime. Elijah Von Gunten scored in the second overtime to give the Moose a 3-2 lead, but the Kings tied the game late in that frame. Bodie Miller scored an earlier overtime goal.

Ketchikan took a 1-0 lead in the match. Owen Lance scored for the Moose during regulation to tie the match at 1.

Kineen earned the win for the Moose in the Palmer net.

Third-seeded Palmer opened its tournament with a 5-0 win over Homer on Thursday.

The Colony Knights placed third in both the Division I boys and girls brackets.

Colony, the top seed in the boys division, bounced back from a 2-1 overtime loss to West Valley with a 5-0 victory over Juneau-Douglas.

Johnny Figgins and Owen Dietz scored two goals each, Eli Engle also scored.

Fifth-seeded Colony edged Valley rival Wasilla, the No. 3 seed, in the girls third-place match.

The match was scoreless throughout regulation, overtime and sudden death, and went to penalty kicks. Colony outscored the Warriors 3-1 in the shootout. Calico McIntyre, Avrie Geigerich and Hannah Hofmann converted penalty kicks for the Knights.

The Palmer girls also capped their season with a win, beating conference foe Grace Christian 1-0 in the Division II girls fourth-place match.

Contact the Frontiersman at editor@frontiersman.com.