Valley soccer teams begin season on the road

With most fields still not ready for play because of Mother Nature's reluctance to let go of winter, most high school soccer teams were able to start their season with away games or by holding games on the artificial turf at Anchorage Football Stadium.

After starting their season with games in Juneau earlier in the week, the Colony girls played games Friday and Saturday on the turf in Anchorage.

After a slow start in Friday's game against Seward, the Knights scored on second-half goals by Sianna Garrod, Kristina Klapperich and Autumn Manelick to defeat the Seahawks 3-0.

"We were a second-half team last year and I'm hoping that we won't be a second-half team this year," said coach Lorie Miner. "If we don't have a good warm-up, we don't have a good first half -- we can't do that against the good teams."

The Knights returned to Anchorage Saturday to face the Houston Hawks in an early season Valley matchup.

Colony defeated the Hawks 7-0 with Amanda Deml scoring a hat trick on three goals. Kelly Quinn, Carly Thaggard, Klapperich and Katie Williams each scored. Klapperich also picked up two assists in the game.

"The goals are good, but we have to play together as a team," Miner said. "We used all 10 players in the second half, made short passes and were able to score

easier."

The Colony boys started their season with a 9-0 win over Seward Friday at Anchorage Football Stadium. Nick VanKirk and Kit Pace each scored three goals in the game.

The Knights returned to the turf in Anchorage Saturday and defeated Houston 8-0. VanKirk scored three goals, with Landon Swank adding two goals and three assists in the game.

The Wasilla girls traveled to Juneau over the weekend for a two-game series with the Crimson Bears Thursday and Friday. Wasilla fell to the Bears in both games,

5-1 and 1-0.

Palmer was the only school scheduling games in the Valley over the weekend, but Friday evening rain cancelled boys' and girls' season openers against

Seward.

"It's discouraging not to get the games in," said Palmer girls' coach Brian Fish. "When we play Colony Wednesday, they will already have played four games and we will be playing our first -- it definitely puts us at a disadvantage."