Warrior kickers remain undefeated

May 13, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Wasilla's dominance of the Northern Lights Conference continued Saturday as the Warriors rolled over Palmer 5-0 at Machetanz Field.

Aaron Bean and Jordan Ingalls each scored twice for the Warriors (8-0-1 NLC, 10-0-1 overall), who have outscored their opponents 47-2 on the season. Adam Friese also found the net for his second score of the year.

Ingalls' goals pushed his team-record tally to 21 goals in 11 games this season.

Still, despite the fact that the Warriors have rarely been tested this season, head coach Blake Livingston said he still believes his team has room to improve.

&#8220I think we have a ways to go,” Livingston said.

The Wasilla coach said he thinks his squad needs to get better at maintaining possession and keeping from getting bunched up.

&#8220Just our spacing and possession we can work on,” he said.

Livingston's assessment of his team's needs weren't apparent Saturday, as the Warriors were in control from the beginning.

Bean opened the scoring by earning a penalty kick in the 15th minute after getting hauled down in the box by Colony defender Haakan Bohman. Bean beat Palmer goalie Vinney Salls for his third score of the season.

Five minutes later, Bean put Wasilla up 2-0 after converting a perfect crossing header from Ingalls that left Salls with little chance.

Following the game, Bean said Saturday's win was the result of a complete team effort by the Warriors.

&#8220I think we're all pretty well-rounded,” Bean said.

An Ingalls chip shot in the 25th minute staked the Warriors to a 3-0 lead at the half.

Palmer (4-5-0 NLC, 4-6-0 overall) had few real chances, and when they did Wasilla keeper Andres Baltes was up to the challenge, earning his ninth shutout of the season.

The Moose held Wasilla in check through much of the second half before the Warriors added two more scores in the final eight minutes.

Friese - who also stars for the Wasilla hockey team - earned his by running through Salls and muscling his way to the ball for the score.

Three minutes later, Ingalls snuck past the Palmer defense for a breakaway opportunity. In alone on Salls, Ingalls waited for the goalie to commit before directing the ball into the lower left-hand corner to give the Warriors a 5-0 win.

Palmer coach Kevin Dearborn said his team played well in stretches, but made too many mistakes against a loaded Wasilla team.

&#8220We showed at times that we could play, we've just got to make those times longer,” Dearborn said.

The Palmer coach said he believes the Moose still have a chance to advance to the state tournament, but will need to improve before the conference tournament begins in two weeks.

&#8220The goal is to get at least third place in regions,” Dearborn said. &#8220We're going to try and somehow get into that third-fourth place game.”

Palmer will finish out its season Thursday at Colony (3-3-2 NLC), while Wasilla plays the Knights on Saturday.

Murphy, Fritz score to lead Colony boys

The Colony boys soccer team moved to 3-3-2 in the NLC and 4-3-2 overall with a 2-2 Northern Lights Conference tie against Grace Christain School at Anchorage Football Staduim on Thursday.

Cody Fritz and Colin Murphy each scored second half goals for the Knights.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com