Strong Colony goalkeeping shuts down trio of Kenai teams

SOLDOTNA — The loss of a starting goalkeeper can sometimes lead to a premature end to a season for the typical Alaska soccer team. Colony has been without its 2009 starting goalie, Elliott Gilbert, for virtually all of the 2010 season. It’s a good thing the Knights also have Jesse Krey.

The senior keeper made a match-changing save early to spark the Knights during a 3-1 win over the Soldotna Stars Friday at Soldotna High School.

In the opening minutes of the game, Soldotna’s Blaine Carver — the reigning Northern Lights Conference Player of the Year — ripped a shot toward the Colony net.

“He hit a volley low to Jesse’s left side,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said by phone Saturday afternoon. “Jesse sprawled out and left-handed pushed it past the post for a corner kick.”

The shot was so impressive, Johnson said, that as soon as the ball left Carver’s foot, Johnson thought for sure it would be a goal. But Krey came through with the save.

Johnson said Krey made a couple of spectacular saves during the Knights’ three-day trip through the Kenai Peninsula. During a 7-0 win over Homer on Thursday, a Homer player broke through a pair of Colony defenders and sent a hard strike to the net. But Krey was there to make the stop.

Just minutes after Krey was able to push aside Carver’s opportunity, James Meaney scored during the eighth minute to give Colony the 1-0 lead.

Logan Smith assisted on Meaney’s goal. Two minutes later, Smith used a throw-in to set up a Hunter Fisher goal that gave Colony the 2-0 lead.

Aaron Richardson converted a penalty kick to round out the Colony scoring.

Colony scored a 3-0 win over Kenai on Friday.

Meaney, Smith and Jesse Rouse scored in the victory. Krey recorded the shutout.

On Thursday, Oliver Querin posted the hat trick to lead the Knights to the 7-0 win over Homer.

Meaney, Matt Kelly, Dylan Crawford and Alex Conrad also scored for Colony.

Colony girls take out frustrations on Kards

KENAI — When Lorie Miner and her Colony Knights walked off the field following a 1-0 loss to Soldotna on Friday, the longtime head coach and her players were filled with frustration.

So on Saturday, the Knights took out those frustrations on the Kenai Kardinals.

Five different players scored as the Knights posted a 5-1 win over the Kardinals at Kenai Central High School Saturday morning.

“We made up for it today and took it out on Kenai,” Miner said by phone Saturday evening.

Jamie Krediet, Katie Gonski, Sara Kenley, Ali Baker and Liza Laughlin all scored for Colony. Meghan Riopelle recorded the win in the Colony net and Kenley led the Knights with two assists.

Soldotna’s Kaiti Van Meter scored the lone goal during Colony’s 1-0 loss on Friday.

The Stars’ goal came with 10 minutes left in the game, and came after the ball bounced around the box following a corner kick.

The Kenai win capped a three-game road trip through the Kenai Peninsula. Colony opened that stretch with an 8-0 win over Homer on Thursday.

Baker and Jessica Parker each found the back of the net twice during the victory. Gonski, Krediet and Ashley James also scored.

Riopelle earned the shutout.

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