Prep soccer preview: Knights eager to return to state

WASILLA — Following a double-overtime loss to the Soldotna Stars in last year’s Northern Lights Conference tournament, Colony head soccer coach Jeremy Johnson had a simple message for his team.

“Remember how it feels to have your season end this weekend instead of next weekend. I’m going to remember this,” Johnson said following the 2-1 loss in the tournament’s third-place game.

That loss prevented the Knights from reaching the state tournament for the first time in school history, and Johnson said this week he still hasn’t forgotten the feeling of missing out on the big dance.

“It’s a huge motivating factor for me, and I’ve impressed that on the boys,” Johnson said.

In order for Colony to redeem themselves, they’ll have to get past a number of talented teams in an expanded 12-team NLC field that now includes conference newcomer Lumen Christi.

“Our region’s getting better every year,”

Johnson said.

The top four teams in each of the NLC’s two divisions advance to the conference tournament, from which the top three squads move on to state. Last year, the Wasilla Warriors earned the conference championship, with Kenai Central and Soldotna placing second and third, respectively.

Both the Kardinals and Stars will return several key players from last season, while the Warriors, despite losing 14 seniors, also figure to be in the mix. Johnson said he knows his young Knights squad will have its hands full, but he feels redemption is possible for a team that fell just short of reaching state last season.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be a tough region for everybody, but I like to think we’re real solid all over the place.”

Colony is young this year, but most of its players do have varsity experience. Sophomore goalie Elliot Gilbert is back, as is Jesse Krey, who will challenge Gilbert for the starting role in net.

“They’re both good, quality keepers,” Johnson said.

Sophomores will also help hold down the back line, with Logan Smith and Aaron Richardson expected to see a lot of time at fullback, along with juniors Collin Murphy and team co-captain Chris Bardlsey.

Three-year starter and co-captain Bridger Van Ness, a junior who led the team in scoring last season en route to a first-team All-NLC selection, will anchor the Knights’ midfield, with help from sophomores Jesse Rouse and Oliver Querin, along with Weston Patrick, a transfer from Wasilla.

Up front, Johnson said he’s got plenty of weapons to choose from, with juniors Cody Fritz and Marc Bourassa likely to lead the goal-scoring charge, but they won’t be alone. Johnson said sophomore Gordon Krueger and freshman James Meaney also will handle some of the scoring load.

“I’ll probably rotate a lot of those guys,” he said.

WASILLA WARRIORS

The defending conference champions lost 14 players from last year’s team, including NLC Most Valuable Player Jordan Ingalls, who set a school record with 21 regular-season goals in 2007.

But don’t think the Warriors are going to be an easy mark.

“We have a solid nucleus of veterans, and we have a lot of athleticism and a lot of speed,” head coach Blake Livingston said.

The Warriors are particularly strong in the midfield, with two all-conference performers back this year in seniors Aaron Sharrow and Jimmy Sliwa.

“We don’t consider this a rebuilding year, we’re hoping to reload,” Livingston said.

In addition to having good team speed, the Warriors are also likely to bring plenty of toughness to the pitch this season, with a large contingent of the school’s NLC-champion hockey team out for the squad again this year.

“Our hockey guys are all back,” Livingston said.

That group includes seniors Joe Barkley and Adam Friese, who will likely log most of their minutes up front, as well as midfielders Matthew Friese, a sophomore, and senior Harvey Finch.

“Matt, Joe and Harvey all logged a lot of minutes last year,” he said.

Wasilla’s other sports teams will also contribute to the school’s soccer program, with senior hoops standouts Tyler Johannes and Tillerman Kroon helping to anchor a back line that also includes the WHS football team’s all-conference place kicker, senior Derek Cottle-Bosch.

Two newcomers to the Warriors squad are also likely to play a key role in the team’s success, with freshman goalie Eli Tingstad getting the call in net.

“He’s got some weight on his shoulders, but the guys all believe in him,” Livingston said of his young keeper.

Livingston said he’s also expecting big things from freshman midfielder Paul Sliwa — Jimmy’s younger brother.

“He’s actually more ready to play at the varsity level as a ninth grader than I think Jimmy was,” Livingston said. “Soccer’s definitely in his blood.”

While Livingston acknowledged that the conference race will likely be tougher than last season, when the Warriors lost just once during the regular season, he said he believes this year’s squad has the talent to again reach the state tournament.

“I believe we have the potential to do that.”

PALMER MOOSE

Last season was a one in which learning was at a premium for Palmer and its head coach, Kevin Dearborn, who was in his first season at the helm of the Moose. With a new coach and a young team, the Moose struggled to find the win column, finishing just 1-3-0 in the NLC before dropping a 4-0 decision to SoHi in the conference tournament.

But with a year’s worth of time getting to know each other under their belts, Dearborn said this year’s squad is coming together nicely.

“We picked up from day one this year,” he said. “All that new stuff is out of the way.”

The Moose should be improved in several areas this season, thanks both to added experience and the timely addition of two key players, Finnish exchange student Lauri Husa, a midfielder, and Gabe Gatto, who’ll start for the team in net.

Husa is likely to lead the team from the midfield spot, and Dearborn said he believes the Finn will be among the top players in the conference.

“He’s probably got the best ball skills of anybody on the team,” he said.

Gatto, likewise, will be a key addition.

“Goalies are hard to come by,” Dearborn said.

The excitement around Palmer’s soccer team isn’t limited to its newcomers. Back for his sophomore campaign will be forward Zach “Ziggy” Zegydryn, whose game-winning header against Colony gave the Moose their only NLC win last season. With Zegydryn getting help up front from senior Will Ott, sophomore Brennan Bohman and junior Steven Williams, Dearborn said he believes the Moose will put more pressure on opposing defenses than they did a year ago.

“I definitely expect us to compete more this year than last year,” he said.

Defensively, the Moose have senior Andy Gardner and junior Phillip Jansen back as well as sophomore co-captain Ben Ballard, who stared as a freshman last season. Also helping out defensively — and with leadership duties — will be senior Tate Johnson, who Dearborn said has made huge improvements from last season, when he played with the junior varsity.

“He’s just a great leader,” Dearborn said of Johnson.

Dearborn said he has high hopes for this year’s bunch, especially since most of his players have had a year to get to know each other and their head coach.

“Mostly it’s just a better comfort level, and they now know the system I’m trying to teach them.”

HOUSTON HAWKS

One of the smallest schools in the NLC, the Hawks are used to playing the underdog role. But with more and more of the school’s better athletes starting to give soccer a look, head coach Chad Rice said excitement is at an all-time high at Houston.

“We’ve got more guys out for the team than ever before,” Rice said.

In fact, the Hawks have so many players, Rice said Houston could even field a junior varsity team this season for the first time in school history.

Rice credited competitive youth soccer at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex as having a major impact on getting more kids into the program.

“We’re blessed to have that complex,” he said. “To have actual off-season soccer playing has just been a great thing for us.”

Getting kids excited about soccer means athletes from other sports are now giving the sport a shot, which has been a major benefit for the Hawks. The biggest example of this trend can be seen in senior midfielder Cass Melin, a standout wrestler who only started playing soccer last year and is now among Houston’s leaders.

“He’s an example of someone who’s just fallen in love with the sport,” Rice said.

Melin was one of Houston’s top players last season, and he’ll be joined by key returnees Jordan Cole and Ryan Contreras, both juniors who started last year.

Rice said he’s still working to tweak his lineup, and isn’t sure which players will be up front and who’ll be in the midfield.

Defensively, returning starter John Stinson, a junior, will anchor the back line, with help from fellow juniors Russell Barney and Joe Van Hyning, another relative newcomer to the sport who is more known for his prowess on the ice. Though Van Hyning is raw, Rice said the big fullback has the potential to be a key player for the Hawks.

“He makes up for it with good, heads-up play and incredible power on his kicks,” Rice said.

Senior goalie John Sullivan will be the last line of defense, and has shown great improvements over the past year.

“He’s really learned a lot,” Rice said.

In addition to having a large group of players to choose from this season, Rice said the program has also gotten a boost from assistant coach Jason Spakowsky, a former Houston hoops coach who’s helping out this season.

“He’s got a lot of coaching experience and he’s really helping me out,” Rice said.

Rice said it may not be realistic for the Hawks to expect to challenge for a conference title, simply because of the school’s size relative to larger NLC programs.

“With our numbers here, it’s tough to go against those bigger schools,” he said.

But with increasing excitement around his program, Rice said he believes the Hawks have a shot to surprise some people.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the season.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com