Minutes 65 through 71 couldn't have gone much better for Dimond's boys soccer team on Thursday.
The Lynx scored the tying, game-winning and insurance goals in a seven-minute span to earn a 3-1 win over Service at The Dome in Cook Inlet Conference action.
"That was a ridiculous (seven) minutes," Cougars' head coach Dan Rufner said.
Cedarian Brunelle started the flurry when he headed a feed from Tristan Heil past Service keeper Jacob Andrews to tie the game at 1-1 in the 65th minute. Brunelle put the shot over Andrews' outstretched left arm after taking the cross off a bounce off the turf. Brunelle netted the go-ahead goal four minutes later with a well-placed low shot inside the left goalpost on a feed from Jack Sedor.
"I looked up and there was no one to pass to," Brunelle said. "I took the shot."
Sedor sealed the victory for Dimond when he scored on a penalty kick in the 71st minute.
A quick second-half start by Service rattled the Lynx, Burnelle said, but Dimond settled down and found its scoring touch.
"We finally got ourselves together and we were able to put some goals in the net," he said.
After a scoreless first half, Service started the second half with three quality chances, all of which Dimond keeper Ian Wilber turned away. Johnny Yoon struck first with a rip to the lower left corner to put Service up 1-0 in the 57th minute. Yoon nearly scored on a similar shot earlier but was denied by a diving Wilber.
Those types of saves keyed the victory, Brunelle said.
"Our keeper played amazing today," he said.
Falling behind used to mean trouble for Dimond, head coach Barat Killian said.
"Last year, we would have lost this game 1-0, 2-0," he said.
This season's squad, made up entirely of upperclassmen, displayed their maturity against Service, Killian said.
"That was their discipline," he said.
The final score wasn't indicative of the match, Rufner said.
"It was a much closer game," he said.
And fun to watch, Rufner said.
"There were lots of shots at both ends," he said. "Entertaining soccer."
Though it's still early in the season, the outcome is important for both squads. For the second year, there won't be a CIC tournament -- the top three boys and girls teams in the conference at the end of the regular season advance to state. Coaches voted on the change at the end of the 2012 season and it was implemented for the first time last year.
"Every game is super important," Killian said.
Rufner, who's in favor of the change, said the new format encourages teams to play to win every match.
"You win your league," he said. "That's what it's about."
South 2, Colony 2
Visiting South played to a 2-2 tie with non-conference Colony on Thursday after the Knights' Ben Sande scored on a penalty kick in the 79th minute.
Trailing 1-0, South's Britton Clifford evened the game with a goal on a feed from Lucas Seymour. Kai Kokesh put the Wolverines ahead with a goal off a Wesley Chien corner kick.
Palmer 1, Bartlett 0
Cody Wells scored in the 75th minute to lift Palmer's boys past visiting Bartlett 1-0 in non-conference action on Thursday.
Girls
Bartlett 1, Palmer 0
Bartlett netted the game's lone goal in the fifth minute to earn a 1-0 non-conference victory over host Palmer on Thursday.
Reach Mike Nesper at mnesper@adn.com or 257-4335.
By MIKE NESPER