Warriors, Knights play to boys soccer draw

WASILLA — In recent memory the Colony Knights and Wasilla Warriors have received top billing on the Northern Lights Conference soccer card. The storied rivals meet at least twice, and sometimes three or even four times each year. It’s a bout rarely won by knockout, more often by TKO.

Score the first round of 2015 a draw.

Colony’s Cameron Shaw scored during the 62nd minute to force a 1-1 tie at Wasilla High’s Veterans Memorial Field Tuesday evening.

“We have a lot of respect for Colony. They’re the defending state champions. We feel like if we cane come in and play with those guys, we can play with anybody,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said after the tie.

But the Warriors are the defending Northern Lights Conference champions, a fact evident of the back-and-forth battles these rivals have experience in recent years.

“We’re glad we were able to go out there and battle like that,” Livingston said of the match, just his team’s second of the season.

Diego Chavez gave Wasilla the early lead, scoring during the 12th minute of play. Trout Millhouse earned the assist on the play.

“They’re always hard-working, a good, skilled team; well-coached,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said of the Warriors. “They got that early goal. We knew they weren’t going to give up.”

Stellar play on the defensive end helped Wasilla preserve the 1-0 lead until Shaw struck late in the game.

In the first half, Colony had at least three prime opportunities that could have easily led to goals. With the match scoreless early, Ben Sande drove into the goal area of the box. Sande had two chances knocked away by Wasilla goalkeeper Nikita Antonov. The Warriors thwarted a third chance by Colony’s Russell Diotte when the Wasilla defenders on the back line, collapsed to cover the goal line and block the Diotte shot.

In the 29th minute, Sande drove the ball back into the goal area. Antonov stepped up to smack away a Sande shot. Colony’s Harrison Menard stepped up to the loose ball, but carried his shot just over the crossbar. About five minutes later, Sande ripped a shot on goal. Antonov made a diving save. Wasilla’s Kristian Palaniuk cleared the loose ball to prevent any opportunities with the rebound.

“Our defense did a good job, and Nikita played great. He made some great saves,” Livingston said.

Sande, Shaw and Menard all had prime chances in the second half before Shaw put the Knights on the scoreboard.

“To their credit, they did a great job,” Johnson said of the Warriors. “They cleared a couple off the goal line. Their keeper made some great saves. Credit my boys too for working hard, getting the finish to tie it up. We had a lot of chances in the second half.”

The rivals meet again May 18 at 7 p.m. at Colony High.