Parity on the pitch: Tiebreakers needed to seed NLC girls bracket

WASILLA — If the final weekend of the regular season proved anything, it’s that not much is separating the top four girls teams in the Northern Lights Conference right now.

In both the North and South divisions, the top two teams in each played during the final weekend of the regular season with a No. 1 seed on the line.

Both matches produced the same result.

Wasilla and Colony played to a scoreless draw at Wasilla High. Kenai and Soldotna also finished with nothing but zeroes on the scoreboard in a match at Kenai Central.

“I think it’s really going to be interesting. I think both of those games indicated the parity in the region right now,” Wasilla head coach Patrick O’Neill said Monday afternoon.

O’Neill’s Warriors earned the North Division’s No. 1 seed in the tournament, which starts Thursday on the Kenai Peninsula, thanks to a tiebreaker. Colony is the No. 2. Wasilla and Colony are both 3-0-1 in NLC North Division play, but Wasilla’s season over Colony earlier this season — a game scheduled as a nondivision match — is the tiebreaker.

The same scenario decided the top two seeds in the South. Kenai was given the No. 1 after the draw, thanks to a win over second-seeded Soldotna earlier in the year.

O’Neill said it’s tough to separate the top tier of the NLC — Kenai, Soldotna, Wasilla and Colony — as he rattled off outcomes of matches this season.

“You look at the comparison: Kenai tied Colony, we beat Kenai, Soldotna beat both (Wasilla and Colony) and Kenai beat and tied Soldotna,” O’Neill said. “I think it’s really going to come down to who gets some breaks.”

Looking at his team, O’Neill said he’s happy where the Warriors are at.

“I feel really good about our chances. Our skill level and the experience, if we finish our chances, we’ll be fine,” O’Neill said.

After Colony’s draw with Wasilla, Colony head coach Lorie Miner also said she felt the tournament was up for grabs, and believes her Knights are certainly in the running for not only one of the conference’s three state tournament berths, but also a region championship.

“Whether we’re first or second (seed), with the adjustments we’ve made with our team, formations, we feel good,” Miner said.

Both Wasilla and Colony drew 11 a.m. games on the first day. Wasilla plays Nikiski, the No. 4 seed from the South, at Soldotna High School. Colony meets third-seeded Homer at Kenai.

Of course for Wasilla, Colony, Kenai and Soldotna to remain in the hunt each will have to get through their first-round matches. One Valley program has its sights set on knocking off a top squad.

Fourth-seeded Palmer meets No. 1 seed Kenai Thursday at 3 p.m. at Kenai.

“When they work hard, they can put it together well,” Palmer head coach Harmony Chadwick said after a 3-2 win over Houston May 13 that pushed the Moose into the region tourney. “I think (we) are super resilient.”

Kenai beat Palmer 3-0 during the regular season, needing two goals in the second half to ice the Moose.

In other action, second-seeded Soldotna meets third-seeded Grace Thursday at 3 p.m. at Soldotna.

The NLC’s quarterfinal round in single-elimination, with the loser of each of the four matches down for the season. The four winners moved into the semifinals matches, slated for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday. The winner of each semifinal match qualifies for the state tournament, and will play for the NLC title Saturday at 2 p.m. The losers of the semifinal match meet in the conference’s third-place match, Saturday at 10 a.m., with the winner headed to state.

Colony boys earn

top spot

The defending NLC champion Knights will work toward another title, armed with a No. 1 seed.

The top-seeded Knights meet fourth-seeded Homer Thursday at 1 p.m. at Soldotna High School.

Overall health is key for the Knights, longtime head coach Jeremy Johnson said. The Knights have spent much of the season battling injuries. But the bumps, bruises and nagging pains seem to be in the past for Colony.

“I think we’re as ready as we can be,” Johnson said.

Despite the injury concerns during the season, the Knights have continued to flourish on the offensive side, with a group led by senior Ben Sande, the reigning NLC Player of the Year. Johnson said a focus is solid play on the defensive side and in goal.

“Our offense tends to take care of itself,” Johnson said.

Wasilla has the No. 2 spot in the NLC North and will face third-seeded Kodiak Thursday at 1 p.m. at Kenai. Palmer is the No. 3 seed and faces No. 2 seeded Soldotna Thursday at 5 p.m. at SoHi.

In other action, top-seeded Kenai plays fourth-seeded Grace Thursday at 5 p.m. at Kenai.

Just as on the girls’ side, the NLC boys’ quarterfinal round in single-elimination, with the loser of each of the four matches down for the season. The four winners moved into the semifinals matches, slated for 1 and 6 p.m. Friday. The winner of each semifinal match qualifies for the state tournament, and will play for the NLC title Saturday at 4 p.m. The losers of the semifinal match meet in the conference’s third-place match, Saturday at noon, with the winner headed to state.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.