Sports

South, Dimond boys set for state soccer showdown

It'll be a south-side derby for the boys state soccer title.

And if a Dimond vs. South championship match wasn't enough to stoke passions between the rival schools, it'll be the first time the teams have met in the final.

Dimond coach Barat Killian said the matchup between the two prep soccer powers couldn't be better.

"These are the two best teams in the state in my opinion," Killian said. "It sets up for a really epic state championship match."

Dimond and South's players may have taken similar routes from their South Anchorage neighborhoods to Bartlett High, but their road to the championship game couldn't have been more different Friday. The Wolverines had to sweat out a gritty 1-0 win over a gutty Juneau side in Friday's first semifinal, while Dimond cruised past first-time state semifinalist Kenai Central 3-0 in the final game of a sun-drenched day at Bartlett.

In Friday's consolation round matches at Eagle River, Colony defeated West Valley 4-2 and Bartlett pulled out a 2-1 win over Homer on a game-winning overtime goal by Lorenzo Froehle. Jordan Pace-Alexander also scored for the Golden Bears, who rallied from a 1-0 deficit to tie the game by halftime. Colony will play Bartlett at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday for fourth place at Bartlett, where Kenai will face Juneau for third at 1:15 p.m.

South advanced to Saturday's 6 p.m. championship match at Bartlett on the strength of a strong team effort that was never more evident than on the game-winning goal by Wesley Chien.

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The play started in the 49th minute off a free kick from 35 yards out by Blake Hepler. The junior launched a heavy, left-footed kick deep into the box, where Britton Clifford had taken up residence near the far post. Clifford headed the ball to Kai Kokesh, whose point-blank header was rejected by Juneau keeper Hunter Pegues. But the rebound fell directly to Chien, who didn't hesitate before blasting the ball past Pegues.

"It was hard work from top to bottom," Chien said.

The game had been a tense affair to that point, with both teams generating solid stretches of possession but few scoring chances. The biggest gasps from the crowd came when Juneau hit a crossbar midway through the first half and when the Wolverines did the same just before the intermission.

Chien said the game-winner was "a relief," especially against the powerful Crimson Bears, who -- like South -- have five state titles on their resume.

"We were expecting a tough game," he said.

South goalie David Reyes-Velez picked up the shutout, although there have been more difficult clean sheets to keep. The senior's day was made easier by the play of his defense, which consistently turned back Juneau rushes before the red-clad visitors from the capital city could put together anything overly threatening.

"Lucas Seymour and Luke Twenhafel were really solid in the back," Chein said of the senior defensive pair.

South coach Mike Montgomery said he expected nothing less than a tight battle with Juneau, a team the Wolverines have met four times in the state final, with each side winning twice.

"We always have great games with them," he said.

The game was played in warm, sunny conditions that had Montgomery pleading with his players to drink fluids immediately afterward, tossing bottles of Gatorade and chocolate milk to his squad from a cooler behind the stadium.

"We have a lot of players who play Outside during the summer, so this isn't too bad," Chien said. "But it's definitely a change from the rest of the season. Luckily we've done a good job of staying hydrated."

Dimond (16-1-2) and South (21-1-1) played twice during the regular season, a 2-2 draw in April and a 2-1 South win on May 20. The Wolverines have qualified for eight championship matches in their 11 seasons, earning five titles to tie Chugiak and Juneau for the most among Alaska boys programs. The Lynx have reached 11 finals since 1983, winning it all four times, most recently in 2012, and finishing second last season.

Either South or Dimond has appeared in each of the last 10 boys' state championship matches, they've never before met in a state final.

In order to beat the Lynx, Chien said the Wolverines will need to continue the solid soccer that pushed them to a Cook Inlet Conference regular season title.

"We think if we play the best we can we can beat anyone," he said. "All it's going to take is focus, composure and maintain the form we've been in all year."

Dimond also sweated out its win, but for entirely different reasons. Four members of the Lynx pulled double duty Friday, participating in the state track and field meet in the morning before joining their teammates on the pitch at Bartlett. One of them was Chandler Lokanin, who placed fourth in the 3,200 meters before mixing in about 60 minutes of soccer.

No big deal, apparently.

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"I guess it just comes naturally," Lokanin said.

Killian said he doesn't mind his players splitting time between track and soccer. He looks at it as a positive for both programs, both of which enter Saturday with hopes of winning championship trophies.

"Hopefully it complements them and it complements us," he said.

Dimond dominated the run of play against a young Kenai side that started six underclassmen. The Lynx opened things up just four minutes in on a clinical Colin O'Hare finish of James Curro's cross. O'Hare struck again in the 28th minute, taking a pass from Cedarian Brunelle and pausing at the top of the 18-yard box to set his feet before ripping a right-footer past Kenai senior keeper Wren Norwood.

The cagey Lynx (Dimond has 14 seniors on its roster) ripped five shots in the first half to none for the Kardinals. Things would have gotten much worse for the Kards in the second half if it wasn't for the efforts of Norwood, who finished with 10 saves before leaving to a loud ovation in the final minute.

"We had our eyes on that title game," said Kenai coach Joel Reemtsma, whose team started five freshman. "Having said that, this is a result we can build on."

Dimond goalie Josh Heckenlivley was lonely opposite Norwood, stopping just one shot -- and that from distance -- to earn the shutout.

The Lynx tacked on the final goal in the 59th minute when Robert Schock did just that with an eye-popping free kick (Killian called it a "40-yard bomber") that beat a sprawling Norwood.

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Killian said he thinks Saturday's final will be a classic battle featuring one of the biggest prep rivalries in the state.

"I wouldn't have scripted it any other way," he said.

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

ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships

Friday's Results:

Semifinals (at Bartlett High)

South 1, Juneau-Douglas 0

Dimond 3, Kenai Central

Consolation (at Eagle River High)

Colony 4, West Valley 2

Bartlett 2, Homer 1, OT

Saturday's Matches (at Bartlett High):

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9:45 a.m. — Colony vs. Bartlett (4th place)

1:15 p.m. — Juneau-Douglas vs. Kenai Central (3rd place)

6 p.m. — South vs. Dimond (championship)

Matt Tunseth

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

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