Thursday soccer: SoHi sweeps Ketchikan; Kenai girls, boys lose in Anchorage

The host Soldotna soccer teams swept Ketchikan on Thursday in nonconference action, with the girls winning 5-1 and the boys winning 2-0.

The Stars girls are 6-0-1 overall, while the Kings are 2-3-1. The SoHi boys are 6-0-1, while the Kings are 5-1-1.

In the girls game, both Soldotna coach Jimmy Love and Ketchikan coach Michael Collins agreed the score was not an indication of how close the play was.

“The score did not indicate the style of game that it was, in my opinion, at all,” Love said. “I know some people really don’t care about that, but to me it does set the tone for what’s coming.

“I would not be overlooking Ketchikan down the road.”

The Kings were playing an offside trap, meaning defenders hold a steady line while moving up the field, with the intent of putting forwards in an offside position.

Love said he tried that defense a few years ago and it can be very effective. The problem is just one mistake by a referee or defender can mean a breakaway for the offensive side.

Collins said his starting goalkeeper did not play in the game, and his center backs are a freshman and sophomore.

“Our goal is to eventually play in the opponent’s half of the field,” Collins said. “So we have a pretty aggressive offside trap, with a new back line and a new keeper, and that strategy is hard to keep.

“We have a different philosophy of soccer. We tried to keep the ball on the ground a little more.”

In the 11th minute, Sadie Lane crossed to Morgan Lemm for a 1-0 lead. In the 16th minute, Emily O’Reagan got the ball to Jillian Duncan, who found Lemm for a 2-0 score.

In the 21st minute, Maryjane Jasper slipped a ball inside the near post for a 2-1 game.

“I think we ended up playing a good game, but I don’t think we played a good game the whole game,” Love said. “I think there were moments where we were just happy with a 3-1 lead.”

In the 44th minute, Bay Bloom got a ball from Teagen Kobylarz and finished a long shot for a 3-1 lead.

In the 53rd minute, Lane had a nice cross to a Duncan finish. Lane then finished the scoring in the 75th minute on a through ball from Alex Lee.

The Kings were fast and physical up front, so SoHi keeper Ryan Queen was called on to make a few tough saves. Love said Piper Bloom did a great job dealing with players that are bigger than her.

Collins said his team’s effort, attitude and focus is exactly where it needs to be to learn from a loss like this.

“There are two ways you can judge a game — one is you got outplayed and the other is you got outscored,” he said. “I think we got outscored. I don’t think we got outplayed.”

Soldotna 2, Ketchikan 0

Both teams are expected to be part of a crowded Division II state title picture and came into the match undefeated.

“I think all these teams are so good you’ve really got to play the whole match,” Soldotna head coach Erik Dolphin said. “They had chances. Luke (Hillyer) made a bunch of saves.”

Dolphin said the difference in the match was Hillyer and the defense keeping the Kings off the scoreboard. The defenders are Collin Peck, Owen Buckbee and Jace O’Reagan.

The SoHi head coach said he’s putting a ton of pressure on the defense this season in order to get the Stars goals.

“We’re really rolling the dice at the back by pushing everybody forward,” Dolphin said.

In a back-and-forth first half, Hillyer made a point-blank save in the 32nd minute.

In the 38th minute, SoHi’s Simon Willets played a direct kick to the far post from 30 yards out. The ball was perfectly placed and it looked like SoHi would get a head on it, but the Stars didn’t, faking out goalkeeper Nathan Price and letting the ball go into the net.

SoHi came out creating some good chances in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Nuno Venturi flicked on a long throw from Owen Buckbee. Lane Hillyer ran onto the ball and scored for a 2-0 lead.

Ketchikan was not done. In the 56th minute, Joe Larson crossed to Eunchong Lee in the center of the box and only a point-blank, lunging save by Luke Hillyer preserved the shutout.

In the 62nd minute, Lee again broke through and dribbled past Hillyer, only to have O’Reagan save a goal off the line.

“We were able to break through a couple of times,” Ketchikan co-coach Juan Robles said. “Unfortunately, or unfortunately for us, they made some spectacular defensive plays.”

SoHi also continued to create chances, according to Dolphin, because Venturi is dangerous with the ball at his feet and Andrew Arthur takes advantage of that attention.

The coach also said Zac Buckbee, Willets, Johnny Wardas and Daniel Heath helped keep possession of the ball.

Robles said his players of the game were Lee, Tyson Jensen and Alex Gilley. The coach said all were powerful in the air, which was vital against the tall and athletic Stars.

“It was a fun game,” Robles said. “Those are what we want. We pay a lot of money to come up here and have good games.”

South girls 1, Kenai 0

The visiting Kardinals dropped a nonconference contest to the Wolverines on Thursday to fall to 6-2-1.

South scored on a header off a corner kick in the 39th minute.

Kenai head coach Dan Verkuilen wrote in a text message that his squad had multiple opportunities in the second half, including a shot a South defender saved off the line. Verkuilen wrote he was proud of the way his squad played.

West boys 1, Kenai 0

The visiting Kardinals took a nonconference loss to the Eagles on Thursday to fall to 5-3-0 overall.

Kenai coach Shane Lopez wrote in a text message that Miles Metteer played forward and had a couple great chances the keeper was able to save.

Lopez also wrote Carson Grimm kept the Kards in the game with his defense, and Gavin Liles played well at defensive back, even working with player up the field to create offensive chances.