Soldotna boys soccer notches victory over Clarkston

The Soldotna boys soccer team opened its season with a 5-1 victory over a squad from Clarkston, Washington, on Wednesday at Soldotna High School.

The Stars went undefeated last season in claiming their first Division II state soccer title.

Clarkston decided to spend spring break exploring the Kenai Peninsula.

The Bantams played in a jamboree at Kenai Central over the weekend before losing 2-0 at Kenai Central on Monday and playing Soldotna on Wednesday.

Soldotna head coach Erik Dolphin said when he first heard the Bantams were searching for opponents in Alaska, he was all for it.

“I was like, if you come to us, let’s do it,” he said. “We got a jamboree thing going on that Kenai’s announced, so I was 100% with it.

“It’s a really cool opportunity, just to kind of test yourself.”

The game was in doubt until Wednesday afternoon due to snowfall that had accumulated on the central peninsula Tuesday.

Corinthia Richert, the head coach for Clarkston, said the snow messed up the team’s travel plans Tuesday.

The plan was to go to Homer and see the sights there. The Bantams also were going to stop in Happy Valley, because Richert knows the area well. Her husband used to guide there.

“The snow stopped us in Ninilchik,” Richert said. “Our vehicle started sliding all over the road.”

The squad decided to explore the Kasilof River area instead, then hoped the game Wednesday would take place. They learned at 2 p.m. that it would.

“It’s kind of hard,” Richert said. “We’re out of our routine. It makes a difference.

“But despite the loss, we had a good time, had a good experience and enjoyed our trip.”

The Stars opened the scoring in the third minute, when Marshall DeRaeve put in a cross from Johnny Wardas.

Clarkston answered a little over a minute later when Stone Ausman nodded in a corner kick from Tyler Schnatterie.

With about 3 minutes left in the half, Simon Willets put SoHi ahead for good on an assist from Lane Hillyer.

With 31 minutes left in the game, Clarkston took a red card and played the rest of the game with 10 players.

SoHi took advantage with Hillyer scoring on a Quentin Wolverton assist, Wolverton scoring on a Hillyer assist, and Daniel Heath tapping in a corner kick from Trae Pitsch.

Dolphin said he lost five starters from last year’s squad, which outscored opponents 111-11.

“Last year, we scored a lot of goals, which meant there was a lot of time to get bodies out there,” he said.

The coach said Simon Willets, now a senior, has been a captain nearly his entire career and did a great job directing traffic.

Dolphin added that goalie Luke Hillyer cut down a lot of chances early by playing aggressive.

The coach said Lane Hillyer and Trae Pitsch also were solid in the midfield, while Wolverton and Trevin Moore, a pair of freshmen, performed well in their first varsity minutes.

Dolphin said the team has a busy schedule with tough trips to Colony and Southeast.

The coach said last year his team never trailed in a game.

“With a harder schedule this year and with some tougher opponents, like playing Juneau at Juneau and Colony at Colony, if we get down, can we manage that and fight through adversity?” Dolphin said.

As for the Bantams, Richert said if she had another group ready to enjoy the trip, she’d do it again.

The immediate concern is the drive to Anchorage on Thursday to catch a flight home. Snow is possible for much of the day, especially in Turnagain Pass.

“We’ve got plenty of time tomorrow to make it back, fingers crossed,” Richert said. “So it’s good.”