Prep boys soccer: It's deja vu for Wasilla

June 1, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE - Jimmy Sliwa and his Wasilla teammates are probably getting used to seeing a conference rival in the first round of the state soccer tournament.

Last season, Sliwa posted an overtime tally to give the Warriors a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Palmer - a team the Warriors had seen three times before.

On Wednesday, Sliwa scored twice to lead Wasilla to a 4-0 win over Soldotna, a Northern Lights Conference opponent the Warriors had faced twice before during the 2007 season.

After the win, Sliwa said there are certainly pros and cons about seeing familiar foe in the state tournament.

&#8220We know what their strengths are, but it's always a drag playing someone we've seen over and over again,” Sliwa said.

Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston admitted he was a little surprised when he learned the Warriors had drawn the Stars in the quarterfinals.

&#8220But you can't really worry about things that are out of your control,” Livingston said &#8220When you're at state, a number's a number.”

The quarterfinal contest came just five days after Wasilla handed Soldotna a 3-1 defeat in the NLC semifinals.

&#8220That's semifinal was probably the toughest game we had all year,” Livingston said. &#8220We knew this was going to be a battle.”

Sliwa made the first move in the battle, converting a penalty kick in the ninth minute to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

After Soldotna was whistled for a call in the penalty box, Sliwa completely fooled SoHi goalkeeper Dan Gellar with his penalty kick.

While Sliwa sent his shot to the right, Gellar chose to dive left.

&#8220When I practice, I always play it to a certain side, and I just stuck with that,” Sliwa said. &#8220Low and hard.”

Sliwa also scored a late goal for the Warriors, knocking a shot past Gellar in the 76th minute. The junior beat two defenders, and sent a hard shot into the lower right side of the net.

Senior Jordan Ingalls also scored twice in the win, further inflating the single-season school record he set in mid-May. Ingalls now has 26 goals.

Ingalls gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead in the 36th minute, scoring on a play worthy of the highlight reel.

Senior John Pahkala drove the ball down to the right corner of the field and sent a cross toward the goal that looked like it had a legitimate chance of ending up in the net. Ingalls squashed any doubt by flying through the air to hammer a header home.

Ingalls bounced in a second header, a shot created by another Pahkala pass, late in the contest.

Wasilla's win over it's NLC opponent came in the unfamiliar territory of AFS. While Valley squads, such as Wasilla, play on grass football fields, AFS is the home to a regulation sized artificial turf soccer pitch. The Warriors have only played on the field once before, in a 1-0 win over Grace Christian early in the year.

&#8220The field is obviously bigger than what we're used to, but I think we're able to use it to our strength, which is speed.”

Livingston said he was happy with his team's effort, but did say the Warriors have a little bit of work in regards to adjusting to the bigger field.

Thanks to a win over the familiar, the Warriors now prepare for the completely unknown. Wasilla's next task is to try to dethrone the two-time defending state champion South Wolverines.

&#8220I'm excited to play them,” Sliwa said.

South used a 3-1 win over West Valley on Thursday to move into the semifinal

round.