Kenai girls stop SoHi, Palmer boys nip Soldotna in Division II state soccer finals

The Kenai Central High School girls topped Soldotna to claim their second straight state title Saturday at the Division II state soccer tournament in Wasilla. The Soldotna boys fell just short of defending their title in a match with Palmer that went to penalty kicks.

Kenai Central girls 2, Soldotna 0

The Kenai Central girls (14-3 overall) landed the second state title in program history in a third finals appearance, while Soldotna (12-5-2) has one title in four finals appearances.

Brynnen Hanson set the temperature early by landing an unlikely goal only around eight minutes into the game. Coach Jeff Siemers, who took over the program this season following Dan Verkuilen’s 25-year run at the helm, said she scored off “a real tough angle.”

Hanson, a junior, said she was proud that her team secured the win.

“We had a lot of trust in each other,” she said. “We knew what we needed to be prepared for.”

Only one other goal would be scored during the game — at 51 minutes by Kate Wisnewski.

Siemers said the Kardinals had a good season and entered the championship with confidence, but many of the girls remember falling to Soldotna in the state championship in 2023. With the pressure, the rivalry and the skill on both sides, Siemers said either team could have pulled out the win.

The Kards finished 3-1 this season against the Stars.

Sarah Jane Baisden, a graduating Kenai senior, remembers losing to Soldotna her sophomore year.

She knew Saturday that SoHi would be a strong opponent “but we have to come out stronger.” The championship match was a significant mental battle, she said, but the Kardinals also focused on physical pressure.

Ending her high school career with two consecutive state championship titles, Baisden said, means walking away full of pride.

“I’m just so, so glad to leave a good legacy here,” she said.

Soldotna coach Jimmy Love said the Stars and Kardinals tangled four times this season, and nothing has changed between the two of them from the first game and the fourth. His girls knew what they were up against and what was on the line during the title match.

“You always feel bad for the seniors when things don’t go the way that you want or hope,” he said. “For them to walk off the field like that is tough.”

Palmer boys 3, Soldotna 2, PK

The Palmer boys very narrowly topped Soldotna (15-5-1) in a game that went to nine rounds of penalty kicks. The two teams had played to a 1-all tie in the regular season.

SoHi is now 1-3 in state finals.

Each team scored once during regular time. Simon Willets landed a penalty kick at 21 minutes to put the Stars ahead for most of the game, but Palmer responded to tie the game up at 61 minutes, teeing up overtime.

In the first overtime period, Palmer managed to gain the advantage. The game might’ve seemed over then — in part because the announcer prematurely declared the Moose the state champions — but in the second overtime period, Lane Hillyer put the Stars back in the game with under a minute of play left.

The 2-2 score held through two more periods of sudden death overtime before the game went to penalty kicks.

After the first five rounds of kicks, both SoHi and Palmer had landed three each — Trae Pitsch, Hillyer and Willets all putting one in for Soldotna.

When the kicks went to sudden death, the game went three more rounds with Palmer and Soldotna each making their shots — Johnny Wardas, Brody Linton and Trevin Moore each responding to successful kicks by Palmer to keep the Stars in the game. In the ninth penalty kick Palmer scored and Soldotna missed, ending the game.

Erik Dolphin, Soldotna’s coach, said he was proud that his team pushed Palmer all the way to the edge before falling — though he would’ve preferred the game come to a conclusion in regular time.

“I thought these guys deserved it,” he said. “They played a great season.”

Dolphin pointed to strong seniors, like Ely Campbell, Daniel Heath, Harold Rudstrom, Marshall DeRaeve, Ryatt Weed and Simon Willets as making a difference this year. He also said he’s excited about the deep contingent of sophomores and juniors that make up the bulk of SoHi’s roster.

“The guys did everything they possibly could,” Dolphin said. “Hats off to the Palmer team.”

After the match, Willets said that he was proud of his teammates and their performance on Saturday. While they didn’t come out on top, they put in everything they had until the last whistle.

“I’m just so blessed, so happy to be here with these boys,” he said.

Kenai Central boys 2, Ketchikan 0

The Kardinals finished the season 11-7-2 by taking the third-place match. Kenai finished 2-1 against Ketchikan this season.

Zane James scored both goals for the Kardinals, with assists from Sawyer Vann and Enrique Mercado. Bradley Morrison kept a clean sheet for Kenai, with head coach Shane Lopez noting that the keeper had an amazing top post save.

“Great game all around, controlled the midfield and put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Lopez wrote in a text message.

The coach wrote Mercado, Cole Langham and Carson Grimm were the engines in the midfield, while Ben Harris and Dakota Wisnewski held down the defense.

“An incredible group of seniors who have given their all to their team their entire four years and closed out the tournament in strong fashion today,” Lopez wrote. “So proud of this great group of gentlemen!”

Monroe Catholic 4, Homer 3, PK

The Mariners finished 4-10-1 and in fifth place after dropping the third-place match.

Homer’s goals came from Ruby Hill, Talia Weisser and Piper Fuchs.

Homer boys 2, North Pole 0

The Mariners finished 8-7-1 by winning the fourth-place match.

Kaiden Bogie and Kai Waltenbaugh scored for Homer, while Walden Krazeski had the shutout in net.

“Fourth is a good place for this young team to finish,” Homer head coach Tyler Jeffres wrote in a text message. “Hopefully we come back stronger next year.”