Wasilla girls, Colony boys place 4th in state soccer

ANCHORAGE — The Wasilla Warriors saved their best for last, and scored arguably the biggest victory in recent memory of the WHS girls’ soccer program.

Wasilla earned a 3-2 win over Soldotna during the ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships fourth-place match Saturday morning at Bartlett High School in Anchorage. Senior Alexa Starr scored twice and senior Teyonnah Williams notched the game-winner to help Wasilla earn its best state finish in eight trips to the ASAA tournament since 2005.

“It was definitely the best game we played all year,” Wasilla head coach Patrick O’Neill said by. “The girls were so excited. Needless to say, they were a little emotional after the game, to finish up that way.”

Not only did the Warriors notch a top-4 finish in the state, but they beat a Northern Lights Conference nemesis in the process. Saturday’s match marked the third meeting of the season between the NLC rivals. Soldotna won both prior meetings, netting a combined nine goals in the games.

“None of our seniors had beat them in four years,” O’Neill said of the Stars.

Saturday, the Warriors used a revised game plan to best the Stars. Wasilla used four defenders, five midfielders and a single striker to combat Soldotna.

“We switched to alleviate some of the defensive pressure,” O’Neill said.

With more of a focus on defense, and success with the short passing game, Wasilla was able to net timely goals in the contest. Starr gave the Warriors their first lead of the game, scoring in the 13th minute.

“That got the adrenaline going,” O’Neill said. “We needed that goal.”

Soldotna’s Alyssa Wolfe scored during the 27th minute to tie the game at 1, but Wasilla was able to bounce right back. Starr added her second goal in the 35th minute.

Early in the second half, Soldotna’s Miranda Wolfe tied the game for Soldotna. And once again, Wasilla rebounded.

Williams scored the game-winner during the 51st minute for the Warriors.

“Our two senior captains came through,” O’Neill said. “Both had a great tournament, putting constant pressure on other teams with their speed.”

O’Neill lauded his team’s defense in the win, and a play by Lindsey Cizek in particular. Late in the game, with the Warriors clinging to a lead, the Stars sent the ball up the field and the ball kept rolling in toward the goal. Cizek came in sliding across the turf and cleared the ball from the goal line.

“That’s one of those bounces that’s been going against us for four years. It’s such a heads-up play by Lindsey,” O’Neill said.

The Warriors finished 2-1 in the tournament. West Valley edged Wasilla 1-0 in the first round, and the Warriors bounced back to beat Juneau-Douglas 3-2 in overtime on Friday. Before this season, the Warriors were 2-14 in seven prior trips to the tournament since 2005. The two Wasilla wins came in consolation semifinal games in 2005 and 2011.

“This is a huge step,” O’Neill said.

Wasilla moved into a fourth-place match, thanks to a 3-2 overtime win over Juneau-Douglas Friday afternoon. Sophomore Ally Hull netted the game-winner during the 108th minute of the match. Hull took possession about 50 yards out, drove up the field, cut into the box and ripped a shot into the upper corner of the net.

Williams and Starr also scored for Wasilla.

Williams scored in the 45th minute to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Juneau tied the game, scoring off a direct kick in the 70th minute. In the first 10-minute overtime period of the match, Juneau converted a penalty kick to give the Crimson Bears the 2-1 lead. Soon after in extra time, Starr blasted a shot in from about 30 yards out to knot the score at 2.

Colony boys place fourth

ANCHORAGE — The Colony Knights were not able to repeat its championship feat from a year ago, the Colony did ended its season on a winning note.

Colony beat Bartlett 3-0 in the boys’ fourth-place match of the ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships at Bartlett High School.

Cameron Shaw, Jake Forstner and Ben Sande each scored for the Knights, who placed in the top 4 for the third straight season. Shaw gave Colony the early lead, scoring in the sixth minute. Forstner scored in the 62nd minute and Sande added his goal in the 71st. Zach Zmuda recorded the shutout in the Knights net.

Friday, Colony rebounded from a first-round loss to South Anchorage, and grabbed a 5-2 win over West Valley in the boys’ consolation semifinal round. Sande netted the hat trick, and senior Austin Richardson scored a pair of goals to help push the Knights into the bracket’s fourth-place match. Sande and Richardson also finished with two assists for the Knights, who beat Dimond 3-2 in double-overtime last season to win the 2014 state title.