Sports

South's stalwart defense stymies Wolfpack in girls soccer championship

Coaches are fond of saying defense wins championships, but usually it's the offensive stars who collect the accolades. Not so on Saturday afternoon, as a quartet of close-knit defenders led South to a 5-1 whooping of West Valley in the state girls soccer final at Bartlett High.

"At the beginning of the game all four of us huddle together," said South defender Erin Stuart. "If we don't it's bad luck."

Stuart teamed up with fellow seniors Grace Connelly, Ashtyn Evans and Vanessa Velez to create an impenetrable wall that -- save for one notable breakdown -- stymied any offensive overtures by the Wolfpack.

Connelly said the fearsome foursome has been together since the fourth grade, giving them an uncanny ability to work together.

"I feel like we always know where the other is," she said.

"I feel like our defense is our strongest point," said Stuart.

It wasn't in the early going, as West Valley stunned the defending state champions with a goal by Riley Baumgarther, who chipped in a perfect feed from Grace Marks in the ninth minute.

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"These guys are just resilient," said South coach Brian Farrell, whose team has now won five championships, including four of the past five.

The Wolverines' five crowns trail just Service, whose 17 championships are the standard in the sport. But while South is now on top, Farrell said he doesn't want to use the 'D' word just yet.

"I hate the word dynasty," he said. "I'd rather just say our goal every year is to compete for the title and expect to win."

In the third-place match, Service downed Kenai Central 6-0, while Wasilla defeated Soldotna 3-2 to claim fourth.

South clawed back into the game by refusing to let West Valley's early stunner get them down.

"I don't think anybody let their heads drop," said Connelly.

South equalized in the 17th minute when Abbie Osgood put in her own rebound after knifing through a pair of Wolfpack defenders. The Wolverines took the lead for good four minutes before halftime when Megan Currier sent a cross to Sofia Velez, who went top shelf to net the game-winner.

Even at that point, Stuart said she felt like her team was far from out of the woods against a pesky West Valley side that was trying to become the first Fairbanks-area school to win the championship.

"West Valley came out with nothing to lose," Stuart said. "They were prepared."

South put the clamps on during the second half, limiting the Wolfpack to just a single shot in the final 40 minutes while firing half a dozen of their own on target.

Farrell had nothing but praise for his defensive unit, which time and again cleared balls out of harm's way or linked up with the midfield to create scoring chances.

"They just fight and fight and fight," he said.

The dam finally started to burst in the 62nd minute when Isabel Evans ripped perhaps the goal of the tournament, firing a guided missile from more than 40 yards away that flew over the head of West Valley freshman keeper Lane Pomeroy.

Kayla Sims added South's fourth goal off an Isabel Evans corner in the 67th, and freshman forward Ally Ott got in the scoring column when she banked one off Pomeroy on a corner kick in the 80th minute.

West Valley coach John Cadigan said his team had nothing to be ashamed of after going nose-to-nose with the powerful Wolverines.

"Our future looks very bright," he said of his team, which featured seven freshman in its regular rotation.

Cadigan told his players as much in an upbeat post-game conference.

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"We need to walk out of here very, very proud," he told he players.

But it was South that walked out with the hardware, giving six of the team's seniors a third title in four years.

"It's the best feeling," Stuart said.

Contact reporter Matt Tunseth at 257-4335 or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com

All-Tournament Team:

Darby Judd, Dimond

Mia Wilson, Dimond

Kylie Morse, Kenai

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Heidi Perkins, Kenai

Alli Steinbeck, Kenai

Alexa Starr, Wasilla

Zoe Bailey, Service

Siri Parker, Service

Haleigh Van Allen, Service

Brianna Linnell, Service

Miranda Wolfe, Soldotna

Erin Stuart, South

Callie Orizotti, South

Kiara Simpson, West Valley

Matt Tunseth

Matt Tunseth is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and former editor of the Alaska Star.

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