Prep Girls Soccer

May 13, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH and JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman

PALMER - Tabitha Bare scored in the 76th minute to help Wasilla salvage a draw against Palmer Saturday at Machetanz Field.

Following the game, Wasilla coach Katie Broeder said she was pleased with the way her team was able to fight back from an early deficit.

&#8220Definitely better a tie than a loss,” Broeder said following the game.

Palmer controlled the first half, going ahead in the 28th minute when forward Tess Anderson took a long pass from midfielder Claire Woodings and beat two Warrior defenders to net her eighth goal of the season.

Palmer looked to be cruising toward a win as the game wore on until Wasilla forward Rachel Kennedy got loose and challenged Palmer goalie Chelsea Beetch inside the box.

Beetch made the initial stop, but collided with Kennedy on the play.

That left the goal open for Bare, who calmly finished for her second score of the season.

Following the game, Palmer coach Brian Fish said he was a little disappointed in the outcome.

&#8220There were some opportunities that we let by,” Fish said.

He said he felt like his team played well enough to pick up the victory.

&#8220I'm disappointed with the result but not the effort,” Fish said.

Broeder said she was pleased with her team's effort late in the game.

&#8220I think we had a lot more intensity in the second half,” she said.

The game allowed Palmer (4-2-3 NLC, 5-2-3 overall) to remain ahead of Wasilla (4-4-1 NLC, 4-6-1 overall) in the Northern Lights Conference north division standings.

Both teams have one game against Colony (3-2-3 NLC) left to finish out the regular season. The results of those games will determine seeding for the upcoming conference tourney.

Broeder said picking up the tie against Palmer will help her team build confidence as the Warriors begin looking to the post season.

&#8220It was huge,” she said. &#8220It's all about regions and building

confidence.”

As for Palmer, Fish said he believes his team needs to work on finishing out games strong in order to avoid late-game letdowns like the Moose suffered Saturday.

&#8220That's been kind of our problem all year,” Fish said.

&#8220If we can find a way to finish those chances, we might be able to win some of these games that have been losses or ties.”

Juneau 3, Palmer 1

PALMER - Palmer head coach Brian Fish had a hard time being critical of his Moose after a 3-1 loss to Juneau-Douglas Friday at Palmer High School.

The Moose took a 1-0 lead into the second half against a program that annually fields one of the top teams in the state.

Juneau scored three unanswered goals in the second half to claim the nonconfernce win, but Fish is still pleased with the play of this squad.

&#8220I thought we played smart today,” Fish said.

As the Moose head into the final stretch of the season, seeing a tough nonconference team is important for the squad that currently sits on the top of the Northern Lights Conference's North Division.

&#8220It's a little bit of a measuring stick,” Fish said.

Sophomore Krysta Thiesen converted a penalty kick in the 35th minute to give the Moose the 1-0 advantage.

&#8220That's a lot of pressure for a sophomore,” Fish said. &#8220She did well.”

After a Moose player was taken down near the Juneau goal, Thiesen sent a low shot right underneath Juneau's diving goalkeeper, Lindsey Collins.

Rachel Tarver, Margaret Sekona and Clarrissa Suson each scored for the Crimson Bears in the second half.

Tarver worked a shot past Palmer goalkeeper Chelsea Beetch in the 41st minute.

Sekona put a short, but hard, shot into the upper shelf of the net in the 51st minute.

In the 72 minute, Sekona bounced a shot off the crossbar, and Suson was there to tap in the rebound.

Fish felt there were just a few minutes in the second half where the Bears were able to fall into their preferred gameplan.

&#8220They're a quick transition team,” Fish said. &#8220They like to play the ball up.”

Colony 1, Grace 0

The Colony Knights scored a 1-0 win over the Grace Christian Grizzlies at Anchorage Football Stadium on Thursday.

Kara Larson scored the game-winner for the Knights.

Kaetlyn Payne earned the shutout in the Colony goal.

Contact the Frontiersman sports desk at 352-2273 or sports@frontiersman.com