Given the kind of season they've had, it was no shock the Service Cougars ended things by winning the Alaska School Activities Association state championship and claiming their second straight title.
The Cougars (21-0-1) defeated Juneau-Douglas 4-0 at the Anchorage Football Stadium in a match they controlled from the start -- making 15 shots on goal while the Crimson Bears managed three.
The victory marked the Cougars' 25th consecutive match without a loss and their 17th state title -- the most by any girls soccer program in Alaska.
The dominance they showed over Juneau mirrored the dominance they showed all season. In 22 matches, the Cougars outscored opponents 109-10.
Service's Anna Cartwright started the scoring in the 13th minute off a corner kick from Amanda Dotten, and six minutes later Dotten kicked in another.
"Their offense was really strong," said Juneau forward Sarah Tarver. "They were quick on the ball and it was a lot of work to keep up."
Their offense is so potent that even mistakes have a way of not making a difference, which was the case when Service suffered a rare blunder in the 34th minute when Vonnie DesJarlais missed an open-goal shot.
DesJarlais made a break toward the goal when Juneau's goalkeeper was playing defense outside the box, her kick missing the right bar by inches.
"I think (she) might have been too comfortable," said Service coach Mark Cascolan, who said Saturday's strong winds may have contributed to the mistake.
The junior forward dropped her head after the error, but she didn't get gun-shy. DesJarlais attempted another header on goal in the second half, sending it a few feet too high.
"A lot of players would have let that ruin their day," Cascolan said.
DesJarlais was named to the all-tournament team along with teammates Dotten, Cartwright and Emma Kroloff.
Down 2-0 with 10 seconds left in the first half, Sarah Donohoe sneaked in the first of three Juneau-Douglas attempts on goal -- each of which was blocked by Service goalie Jaime Gorman.
Despite their lead at halftime, the Cougars kept their defenders pressing up to the 50-yard mark while Tricia Stonebraker and Dotten continued to pepper the goalie.
Dotten scored in the first two minutes of the second half and Stonebraker finished the scoring with 10 minutes left.
The state banner is the second the Cougars earned this season. They earned the first after defeating Chugiak 3-1 in the Cook Inlet Conference championship match.
"The girls really wanted two this year," said Cascolan.
Last season the Cougars claimed the state title, losing the Cook Inlet Conference title to South.
"Our seniors go out on a high note," the coach said.
And the Crimson Bears didn't leave with their heads hanging low.
"It was a very good finish for us," said Tarver, one of Juneau's two seniors. "We were surprised to make it this far."
The last time the Crimson Bears made it to the championship match was in 2006, when they fell to Dimond 2-0.
On Saturday they were missing key player Annika Ord, who suffered a knee injury during a match against West last month.
In other matches Saturday, fourth-seeded South claimed third place after defeating second-seeded Chugiak 3-1, and West Valley claimed fourth place for the second straight year by shutting out Colony 3-0.
Alaska School Activities Association
Girls All-tournament team
Zoe Kurth, West Valley; Derya Kelter, Chugiak; Shelby Daly, Kenai; Whitney Velez, South; Amanda Dotten, Service; Jamie Krediet, Colony; Rachel Kennedy, Wasilla; Emma Kroloff, Service; Lara Campbell, South; Wendy Calderwood, Juneau; Anna Cartwright, Service; Shelby Solomon, West Valley; Sarah Tarver, Juneau; Vonnie DesJarlais, Service.
By HEATHER MARCH
hmarch@adn.com