Warrior boys beat winds, Homer

WASILLA — Teams typically don’t enjoy playing into the wind, especially the heavy winds that whipped across Wasilla High School’s practice field Saturday afternoon.

But sometimes there’s a reward for facing the wind head-on. Playing into the wind during the entire first half, Wasilla scored three of its four goals and posted a 4-0 win over Homer Saturday at WHS.

“Homer put on a lot of pressure in the first 10 minutes or so. We were able to counter and get a goal. It seemed like that changed momentum a little bit,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said.

Elijah Crawford provided that momentum-changing goal, finishing a shot created by Kyler Perry.

Perry, Wasilla’s senior captain, took the ball deep into the corner and put it in front of the goal for Crawford.

Perry converted a penalty kick in the first half, and Grig Lozko also scored to give Wasilla the three-goal lead at the intermission.

Lozko added his second goal of the game in the second half. Corey Hogan earned the shutout in the Wasilla net.

In girls’ action, wind dictated the flow of Wasilla’s 2-2 tie with Homer.

Homer, playing with the wind at its back, scored a pair of first-half goals to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead.

Wasilla, playing with the wind during the final 40 minutes, forced the tie with a pair of second-half goals.

Freshman Addie Mesick popped in a rebound about 10 minutes into the second half to cut Homer’s lead in half. Makayla Branson knocked in a loose ball during a scramble in front of the net to tie the score with about 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

“The wind was a real big factor,” Wasilla head coach Patrick O’Neill said. “With the strong wind going straight across the field, it was a tale of two halves.”

Homer took an early lead, converting a penalty shot at the 5-minute mark. The Mariners added to their advantage with a goal late in the first half.

Warriors sweep

Panthers

WASILLA — Grig Lozko and Elijah Crawford each scored a pair of goals to lead Wasilla to an 8-0 win over Skyview Friday at Wasilla High.

Ethan Keenan and Nate Hanson also scored first-half goals for Wasilla. Kyler Perry and Zach McCann scored in the second half.

Alexis Abbott and Teyonnah Williams scored to lead Wasilla to a 2-0 girls win over the Panthers.