Prep soccer: Knights take advantage of opportunities

/Frontiersman

WASILLA - A trend had been forming in the series between Valley boys soccer rivals Colony and Wasilla. The Knights and the Warriors seemed to always play to a tie.

But not on Saturday. In their second meeting of the year with Wasilla, the Colony earned a 3-0 win over the Warriors at Wasilla High School.

&#8220For the past two seasons, the one thing we have not done is finish them,” Colony senior Bryan Tomlinson said. &#8220We've done a good job of controlling, but we just haven't been able to finish. The last three games we tied them. We thought it was time to pull ahead.”

Colony improved to 8-0-2, while breaking the pattern of three-straight ties against the Warriors.

&#8220We had to step it up today. We knew Wasilla was going to be a hard-working team,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said. &#8220They work harder than anybody. That's their trademark.”

Tomlinson factored in on all three of Colony's scores. The forward set up the first goal, and scored Colony's final two.

In the sixth minute of the game, Colony forward Jarrod Carney and Wasilla sweeper Zach Bennett collided about 15 yards to the right of the Wasilla net. Colony was granted possession, and from the spot of the foul Tomlinson booted the ball to the front of the Wasilla goal. Colony senior Austin Manelick stormed toward the net, put his head down and re-directed a header past Warrior keeper Joe Hunner.

&#8220We've been working really hard at crashing the net,” Tomlinson said. &#8220The opportunity was there. We played it in the air, and did a good job at getting in there.”

Tomlinson scored on a similar goal in the 50th minute. The senior re-directed a corner kick with his head to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.

Late in the first half, Tomlinson took the ball after a long throw-in from senior Tim Egger, and scored.

&#8220The put a lot of pressure on us,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said. &#8220We had a couple of breakdowns, and they capitalized.”

Johnson said the arms of Manelick and Egger helped the Knights put a lot of that pressure on Hunner and the Warrior defense.

&#8220This is a pretty narrow field, and we've got Austin and TIm who both throw the ball in pretty far,” Johnson said. &#8220It really helped us put a lot of pressure in the box.”

Colony senior keeper Ian Walton earned his second-straight shutout, and his fifth of the season. Walton's aggressive play in net, prevented Wasilla from getting a lot of solid chances on net.

&#8220He had to come out and control the box,” Johnson said. &#8220Thankfully, we didn't give them many close-in shots. But they were sending the ball in.”

Livingston said not only was Colony's play on offense a factor, but also it's work in the midfield.

&#8220I thought where they really dominated us, particularly in the first half, was the midfield,” Livingston said. &#8220They controlled the midfield.”