Dimond girls repeat as state soccer champions

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Dimond High celebrates their win over South High 2-1 to win the girls Alaska State Soccer Championship at Service High in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday, July 27, 2016 in Anchorage, AK. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News)

It's not often a tie is the catalyst a team uses to change their mentality, but that's exactly how the Dimond Lynx fueled their second straight Class 4A girls state championship season.

The Lynx scored twice in the first six minutes Saturday to beat South 2-1 in the title game at Service High and claim their third state title in five years.

The Lynx (19-0-1) were perfect a year ago and did not register a loss this season. However, a 1-1 tie with Service three games into the season may have made the difference in their repeat.

"It was, like, humbling," said senior Dakota Astle, who scored 90 seconds into the championship game. "We needed that tie to get back into the season and realize, 'Hey we need to get our stuff together if we want to finish the season the way we want to finish it.' "

Alison Shafer, the second Dimond goal-scorer who is headed to Idaho State for college soccer, said the tie shook up and motivated the team.

"That definitely lit the fire under our butt for the rest of the season," she said. "We're like, 'That tie did not feel good, we don't want that feeling ever again.' "

Suitably inspired, Dimond came into the title riding 12 consecutive shutouts. And that wasn't easy to do, Lynx assistant coach Bill Thoma said, "because everybody was gunning for us this year."

Dimond controlled the tempo and the ball for the majority of Saturday's first half. The Lynx stunned South with two goals in the first six minutes of the game.

Astle got the scoring started off a nice Carina Kay pass through the box.

"That was just an adrenaline rush, full-adrenaline rush," Astle said. "We knew we had to come out hard in the first five minutes."

Before the Wolverines could recover from the first goal, Schafer burst through the box and headed the ball off a powerful Astle corner kick.

"I've been dreaming about getting a header goal," Schafer said. "I don't score that many goals, I'm a defensive back. I don't remember, my eyes were closed. I just remember the ball hitting my head and I look up and everyone's cheering and I thought 'I just did that.' I wanted a head goal forever."

She showed off her cartwheel skills for the crowd following the header.

"I didn't think that it would happen," she said of her acrobatics, "but if it did – that's a secret little talent I have, no one knows much about."

Schafer isn't the only multi-talented Lynx. Brooke Liland, Calee Stark and Kylie Judd spent the morning running on Dimond's state-championship 3,200-meter relay team at the track championships in Palmer and made it back to Anchorage in time for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

South persevered in the second half, making it a one-goal game following an Abbie Osgood penalty strike with 20 minutes to go.

"They were just supposed to steamroll everybody," South coach Brian Farrell said of the Lynx. "I don't think we were even in the discussion as to being in this spot right here.

"Especially after not qualifying for state last year, our seniors said, 'We're not going to do that again.' "

The Wolverines failed to make the state tournament for the first time last season and considered themselves underdogs this season, said Osgood, South's senior captain who's headed to Division II Minnesota State.

"I'm just super happy we held our own out there," Osgood said. "We put one in the back of the net and had a few unlucky goals, but that was about it."

After South's goal, the Lynx controlled the ball for the final 15 minutes, neutralizing any counterattack.

In the dying minutes, Astle and junior Tatum Willis played keep-away in the corner of South's defensive zone. The pair essentially killed the clock and set up deep corner kicks and throw-ins.

"It sucks because I know the other team gets frustrated by it – I would too," Astle said. "But it wastes time and it wastes time a lot. You just have to get up to that corner and block everyone out…"

Farrell said he understands the strategy.

"People holler and complain, but heck, I'd do the same thing," he said.