Retiring teacher, coach urges Colony grads to ‘find their 68’
By Jeremiah Bartz Frontiersman.com A football coach using a hockey reference as the centerpiece for his keynote address may
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ANCHORAGE — Sometimes a match is decided by inches.
That was the case Thursday afternoon at Service High School. West Anchorage tucked a laser underneath the crossbar late in the first half and held on for a 1-0 win over the Colony Knights in the ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships girls’ quarterfinals.
The West Anchorage goal came shortly after Colony’s Autumn Richardson knocked a shot of the West crossbar.
“We hit a crossbar, they had a really nice shot under the crossbar. That was the difference,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said.
Johnson said the West score was simple, a really good goal.
“It was moving. The girl hit it really solidly,” Johnson said of the shot, which came from about yards out.
It was the second meeting of the year between the teams. Colony, the No. 4 seed in the bracket, edged West 2-1 during the regular season.
“I knew it would be tough. It’s always tough in the state tournament,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he felt the match was pretty evenly matched.
“Both teams had some opportunities. Both goalkeepers had to make some saves,” Johnson said.
With the loss, Colony moved backward in the bracket and will meet Northern Lights Conference rival Kenai Central Friday at noon at Eagle River High School. Colony beat the Kards twice this season.
“It’s always tough to beat a team three times in a season. It’s tough enough to beat them twice,” Johnson said.
The Colony boys also fell during the quarterfinals, suffering a 5-2 loss to South Anchorage. Michael Shower and Kyle Dearborn scored for Colony. With the loss, the Knight move back in the bracket and will face Dimond in the consolation semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. at Eagle River High.
The Wasilla girls also dropped a game during the first round. South Anchorage scored a 3-0 win over the Warriors. Wasilla will face West Valley Friday at 4 p.m. in the consolation semifinals at Eagle River.
Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.
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