Warriors strike late to beat Knights

ANCHORAGE — It took Wasilla some time, but the Warriors we able to find a way to strike against the Colony Knights.

Sophomore Nikki Vanni scored a pair of goals during the final seven minutes of play to lead the Warriors to a 3-1 win over the Knights during the season opener for both teams at The Dome in Anchorage on Tuesday.

“Colony did a good job of making adjustments at halftime,” Wasilla head coach Amber Craig said. “It took us a while to figure out what we needed to do. The girls didn’t give up, and in the last 15 minutes we had some good scoring opportunities.”

Vanni gave the Warriors the 2-1 lead, scoring from about 25 yards out. Vanni dribbled through midfield and struck from 20 yards to push Wasilla’s advantage to 3-1. Both were low shots, staying only about two or three feet off the ground.

Wasilla took a 1-0 lead into the half, thanks to junior Ashlynn Frizzelle’s score. Craig felt her team was able to control possession during the first 40 minutes.

“In the first half we definitely did a great job of working possession on the ground,” Craig said. “We really kept Colony from any shots.”

Both of Wasilla’s first-year keepers, Kamarae Kaina and Kelcie Boe — saw action in the match. Kaina started the match and played the first half, while Boe stood in net for the final 40 minutes. With Colony’s adjustments in the second half, Boe had more touches, but Craig was happy with the play of both keepers in their first varsity action.

The play of Wasilla’s back four was also key, Craig said.

“They did a fantastic job back there,” Craig said of the group led by seniors Krizia Verplancke and Calaena Powder. “Everyone played their role, did what they needed to do.”

Freshman Allison Baker sped up the field and scored on a breakaway during the 60th minute to put the Knights on the scoreboard and tie the match at 1.

Colony head coach Lorie Miner attributed a combination of factors to her club’s first-match struggles. Overall, she said, it was simply a matter of new faces in new places.

“We’ve got quite a few freshman we’re utilizing and players in new positions as well,” Miner said.

Miner said her team’s transition from practicing on a compact piece of turf inside the Curtis D. Menard Sports Center to playing on a regulation-sized field was noticeable.

“We were not making connecting passes, just not playing our game,” Miner said. “This is our first game. Our field hasn’t been in very good condition, so it doesn’t make it very easy to have practice. To actually get on a full-size pitch, it does change the dynamics of the game.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.