State soccer tourney: Golden goal caps wild Colony consolation semifinal win

ANCHORAGE — Just as Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.

Just ask the Colony Knights.

Colony sweated a five-minute pause at the end of regulation as field referees debated whether to allow a potentially game-tying score.

Turns out, it was worth the wait.

Junior Collin Murphy posted the game-tying score in the final moments of regulation and Bridger Van Ness added a golden goal in sudden-death overtime to lead the Knights to a 4-3 win over the West Valley Wolfpack in the consolation semifinal round of the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska State Soccer Championships at Anchorage Football Stadium on Friday.

With merely seconds left in regulation, Logan Smith flung a long throw-in into the box, and after a scramble, Murphy kneed the ball into the net. The ball then immediately rolled out of the goal and the West Valley keeper leaped on top of the loose ball.

As Colony celebrated a goal that would eventually send the match into overtime, at least one of the field referees questioned the score.

At that point, all the Knights could do was wait.

"For about five minutes, we're all waiting," Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said. "Is the game over? Did we lose or are we going to overtime?"

The referees did allow the goal, and after Colony and West Valley played a pair of scoreless 10-minute overtimes, Smith set up another goal via throw in, with Van Ness reaching the back of the net this time.

Weston Patrick and Jesse Rouse also scored in a match Johnson described as “incredibly wild.”

In addition to the four scores Colony was credited with, CHS freshman James Meaney had a pair of goals disallowed due to offside calls and the Knights saw at least two more opportunities cleared by West Valley defenders at the goal line.

“We probably could have had eight goals if all had worked in our favor,” Johnson said.

After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Colony recorded all four of its scores in either the second half or sudden-death overtime.

Patrick knocked in a shot set up by an Oliver Querin cross early in the second half, and Rouse found the back of the net from about 20 yards out a minute after Patrick’s score.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.