Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Days removed from the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race, Cook Inlet Conference soccer squads continued jockeying for postseason position.
Consider the South boys the field’s class thoroughbreds slightly more than two weeks before the state tournament commences. Seniors Tate Metrokin and Ashton Lee scored in Tuesday’s opening half and junior Matthew Wagner added his team-best 11th goal in the second of the Wolverines’ 3-1 victory over home-standing West at a dark and dreary West High Alumni Stadium.
South (9-1-1 overall, 8-0 CIC) stretched its match winning streak to eight and locked itself into the conference’s top Division I state seed and a definite chance to defend its title from last season. The league’s best four finishers qualify for state – May 25-27 in Anchorage – with four teams from the Railbelt Conference. The Alaska School Activities Association is expected to implement what it calls “at-large criteria” to seed the qualifiers, factoring head-to-head matchups, record versus other state teams and a few other math-y equations.
“We definitely want to get that No. 1 seed,” said Lee, who also earned his second assist of the season on Metrokin’s goal in the 24th minute.
Lee and his mates have a legit chance to further solidify their standing Saturday on the home pitch against Colony of the Railbelt. The Knights handed South a 2-0 loss out in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley on April 14.
“We’re going to go at Colony with full force,” Lee said. “We were not happy about that (April match) at all.”
Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
South and West met for their second regular-season meeting in another rematch of the 2022 DI state final, which the Wolverines won 2-1 in overtime. The defending champs notched a 2-0 home win April 27.
Metrokin secured Lee’s centering feed only inches away from West goalkeeper Aaron Hampton in the 24th minute. Metrokin punched a shot above Hampton and just under the crossbar for his fifth of the season.
Lee’s scoring turn came next but not without major help. Sophomore Dawit Hoffman and senior Kyle Fischer made magic in a confined patch of the pitch inside the 18-yard line. The duo miraculously kept the ball inbounds near the far-right sideline before Fischer made a run into the goal box and found Lee about 25 yards out.
“I had a feeling they were going to be able to bring the ball across, so I had to get myself open near the top of the box,” Lee said. “(Fischer’s) play was extremely difficult to pull off, especially against those West defenders.”
Lee gained possession with his back to goal. He turned and lofted an ace of a shot into the net’s upper left-hand corner for his third goal.
“I did a fake, turned on my outside foot to my left and managed to open up that space for the shot,” he said. “In my mind, it was perfect.”
Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
South out-chanced West 12-5 in the first half and 18-8 for the night. Hampton picked up five saves for the Eagles. South sophomore keeper Ralf Braun finished with three saves.
West certainly had a meaningful halftime chat. Senior Rowan Brune set up sophomore Porter Youngman’s second goal of the season only seconds into the second half.
Matthew Wagner added the insurance goal South needed in the 53rd minute. Credit Hoffman with the assist from the low left corner.
West dropped to 5-3-3, 4-2-2. The Eagles are in prime position for a state berth. One more go with the Wolverines at state doesn’t seem out of the question.
“These matches (with West) have been so competitive because I think they feel like they were robbed at (2022) state,” Lee said. “They certainly give it their all against us.”
DIRECT KICKS
- Kudos to whomever turned on the stadium’s scoreboard at halftime, properly updated the score and ran second-half time allowing for some semblance of varsity sports contest between two Anchorage School District schools. Next thing you know they’ll turn on the lights and start charging admission like most other varsity activities.
- The 49th minute featured a mild skirmish as well as a pair of yellow cards to Youngman and South junior Michael Wagner. Youngman broke loose on the right side and let a shot go as Braun came out to meet him. Braun lost grip of the rebound and the Eagles forward dove towards the ball and Braun cleats up. Contact was made and Braun was down for a few seconds as Wagner quickly converged on Youngman. He delivered a decent forearm shiver that would make the Stanley Cup Playoffs proud.
- The regular season ends May 20. ASAA is set to release the state bracket May 22.