Defense proved to be the best offense for the Service girls Friday, when they defeated South 1-0 in the semifinals of the Alaska School Activities Association state soccer tournament semifinal match.
The match-winner came in the 63rd minute off a free kick from defender Abby Chris, whose sharp passing delivered the ball exactly where forward Amanda Dotten could tap it in.
The victory was the Cougars' 24th consecutive match without a loss and gave them the chance to earn a second straight state title in today's match against Juneau-Douglas, a 4-1 winner over Chugiak in the other semifinal.
One reason for the Service streak? Defenders like Chris who can also create offense.
"One thing I expect from the girls is to be able to play both sides of the ball," said Service coach Mark Cascolan.
In addition to the her offensive skills, Chris is a left-footer -- which is why Cascolan chose to put her on the left side of the goal at Anchorage Football Stadium.
"The left-footer bends the ball away from the goal," he said.
Dotten was positioned just right to receive the ball and kick it past South goalkeeper Lara Campbell -- not an easy feat, considering the senior goalie earned a dozen shutouts this season.
"It was an awesome ball by Abby," said Dotten.
A defender in offensive mode isn't a rarity among the Cougars. Cascolan often presses his defenders toward the opposite goal and encourages them to be involved in the attack.
"The closer I have my defenders to the opposite goal, the better," he said. "That results in more (one-versus-one) situations."
When it came to one-on-one play Friday, Service forward Vonnie DesJarlais was the star.
The senior commanded the offense -- skirting South defenders and making sliding saves -- and her footwork drew cheers from the crowd.
"She's brilliant," Cascolan said of DesJarlais, who accounted for five of the Cougars' 12 shots on goal. Her first attempt came in the first two minutes of the match.
Fellow junior Tricia Stonebraker was a powerhouse in midfield, furnishing four shots -- one of them striking the crossbar.
Service goalie Jaime Gorman blocked three shots, one from Bailey Butcher in the first half, and two in the second -- one from Whitney Velez and one from Rebecca Rogers.
The loss sent South -- the state runner-up for the last two years -- to today's third place game against Chugiak.
"There's a pride thing when two south-side school face each other," said Cascolan. "It gives us bragging rights for a year until we face them again."
In the regular season, South came closer than any team to defeating the Cougars, handing them their only tie.
"I don't know what it is about South," said Chris, "But I think we overcame that today."
Juneau 4, Chugiak 1
In the other semifinal match, sixth-seeded Juneau-Douglas topped Cook Inlet Conference runner-up Chugiak to advance to today's championship match against Service.
The first goal was a freebie for the Crimson Bears, who earned a point in the 25th minute when Chugiak scored in its own net.
In the 38th minute, Juneau scored for itself, with a goal from Sarah Donohoe off a corner kick from Daffodil Alinson.
Juneau's Dorothy Brent fed Sarah Tarver for a goal in the 49th minute, and Tarver punctuated the win with a penalty kick with one minute left.
Marti Maley scored the Mustangs lone goal in the 63rd minute.
Usual scorers were absent from both sides of the field. Chugiak missed top scorers Alev Kelter and Kelly Cobb and Juneau played without Annika Ord, who recently went down for the season with a knee injury.
"We had to learn to play a different style," said Juneau coach Matt Dusenberry, whose team improved to 13-3-2.
The Mustangs hope to repeat their third-place finish of last year when they play South today at noon.
In consolation action Friday, fifth-seeded West Valley defeated Kenai 4-2, advancing to today's fourth-place match against eighth-seeded Colony at 8 a.m.
By HEATHER MARCH
hmarch@adn.com