Penalty kicks sink Knights

PALMER — A statistical oddity helped stymie the Colony Knights Saturday afternoon.

The South Anchorage Wolverines buried three penalty kicks en route to a 6-3 girls’ soccer win over the Knights at Colony High School Saturday.

Sahara Iverson scored a pair of first-half goals, and the Knights at one point held a 2-1 lead, but Colony couldn’t overcome South’s work with the penalty kick.

South converted its first penalty kick within the first minute of the game. Iverson answered by knotting the score at one. The senior one-timed a pass from Gabby Wakaliuk into the low corner of the net from about 18 yards out. Ten minutes later, Iverson scored again to give the Knights the 2-1 lead.

South tied the score at 2 before halftime.

The Wolverines outscored the Knights 4-1 in the second half.

“We ran out of gas,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said. “It was our fourth match in five days against a quality side.”

Colony started its week against defending state champion, and followed with matches against West Valley and West Anchorage before facing South. West Valley is the defending Mid-Alaska Conference champ and West placed third in state last year.

In boys action, South, the defending boys champions, beat Colony 4-0. Johnson said the Knights were missing a handful of starters due to injury.

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