Prep boys soccer: Strength is in the North

PALMER - The Valley squads will be going for a clean sweep in the Northern Lights Conference boys soccer tournament at Skyview High School this weekend.

North Division squads Palmer (8-0-1), Colony (8-0-1) and Wasilla (7-2-0) hold the top records in the NLC, and will be battling for three state tournaments on the line at the two-day tournament. The play of the three Valley schools this season is the reason why the strength of the NLC tilts toward the North.

&#8220I definitely feel the North side is stronger this year,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said.

Palmer earned the top seed of the North Division, edging rival Colony by a coin toss.

Palmer and Colony, both undefeated heading into the close of the regular season, played to a 2-2 tie in the season finale. With the tie, both schools stood at 8-0. After a set of tie breakers - head to head competition and record against common opponents - did not produce a division champion, a coin was needed to decided the top two seeds.

The Moose did win the flip and the opportunity to be the North's top seed. But on the flipside, Palmer ended up on the same side of the bracket as another Valley rival - third seeded Wasilla.

With a 2-0 defeat, the Warriors handed Palmer its lone loss of the season. The game was considered a nonconference loss, and didn't effect Palmer's NLC record. The teams met twice this season, and region bylaws state the first match is counted in the official conference record.

Palmer drew Skyview, the fourth seed from the South and the runner-up of the 2005 NLC tournament, as its first-round foe. The Moose beat Skyview 5-0 during the regular season.

Moose head coach Tom Harrison said, regardless of who they play, the Moose have to remember to compete in a complete game.

&#8220Maintaining our focus,” Harrison said. &#8220Remember that soccer games are 80 minutes, not 40 minutes.”

In Palmer's 2-2 tie with Colony on Monday, Harrison said the game was a &#8220tale of two halves” for the Moose. Palmer scored twice in the first 40 minutes, but was held scoreless in the second half. Even though the game ended in a tie, Harrison said it was a good chance to play a team like Colony - the runner-up in last season's state tourney.

&#8220We've won quite a few games, but we haven't played that many tough sides,” Harrison said. &#8220I think Colony's one of the best things in the state. It's really good to play a team like Colony, and see how we stack up.”

The stories of the season for Moose have been senior Devon Conroy's knack at scoring goals, and Palmer's ability of stopping teams from scoring.

With a goal against Colony, Conroy's season total is at 22 - both a NLC high and a Moose school record. His total is already seven more than the program's prior mark.

Palmer senior keeper Trent Berberich has only allowed four goals this season - in 10 games. He has posted eight shutouts.

Part of Palmer's defensive success can be attributed to Berberich's twin brother Jared, the Moose sweeper, and Palmer senior captain and center-midfielder Ben Beetch.

Beetch is also second on the squad in scoring, with four goals.

Palmer has outscored opponents 43-4 in 10 games this season.

Like Palmer, Colony put goals on the scoreboard at a high rate this year. The Knights have outscored their opponents 45-8 in 11 games. But rather than having most of its scoring from one or two players, Colony has a trio of seniors tied for the team lead. Bryan Tomlinson, Gerald Miller and Jarrod Carney have each scored nine goals this year. Another senior, Austin Manelick, has six.

Freshman Tim Jaronik is the leader of the underclassmen with four.

In net, senior keeper Ian Walton is 7-0-3 with five shutouts.

Colony has 13 seniors returning from a squad that advanced to the state championship game last year. With such a wealth of experience on his squad, Johnson said the focus during the week leading up to the region tournament is to work on the basics, and try to get healthy.

The Knights open the tourney today against Nikiski at noon at Kenai High School. Colony beat the Bulldogs 6-0 during the regular season.

Wasilla is the third seed of the North Division, and will face Soldotna at noon today at Kenai High School. The Warriors beat Soldotna, the second seed from the South, 6-0 during the regular season.

Wasilla's only losses of the season came against its Valley rivals, Palmer and Wasilla. The Moose beat Wasilla 1-0 in the season opener, and Colony blanked Wasilla 3-0 last week.

Leading the Warriors offensively is junior Jordan Ingalls. The striker has seven goals, and put together a six-game scoring streak during the season.

On defense, Wasilla senior striker Zach Bennett and senior keeper Joe Hunner have kept five teams scoreless. Among Wasilla's victories is a 2-0 win over Juneau-Douglas, annually one of the top programs in the state.

Grace Christian is the fourth seed in the North. Houston failed to advance to the region tourney.