The Dimond boys soccer team remained unbeaten after topping East Anchorage 3-1 on Friday evening.

Dimond (13-0-1) put up three goals in the first half but – somehow – could not hit the mark in the second half.

“It’s frustrating, it really is,” said an upbeat Max Millwood, one of several Lynx who rocketed the ball off the goalpost in the second half. “I, personally, I really want to score. I haven’t scored many goals as a midfielder.”

Fortunately, the junior captain has not needed to. Through Friday, seniors Dereck Ortega, Tai-Tai Mateaki and Deakin Hutchings have recorded a combined 38 goals, over half of all Lynx goals this season (70).

“They’re the best players that I’ve seen, that I’ve played with, like, ever really,” Millwood said of the Lynx attack. “You’re able to feed them the ball and you’re able to just kind of relax because I can put my trust in them and I can trust them that they can do what’s needed.”

Ortega scored the Lynx’s third goal in first half stoppage time after early tallies by sophomore Kai Walker and Daniel Ramos

Unlike the Lynx’s first two goals, Ortega’s strike came at a considerable distance of East keeper Angel junior Feliz Feliz.

From about five yards behind the half-line, freshman defender Kenai Mateaki launched a high-arching pass diagonally over multiple East defenders to Ortega. The senior settled the ball around the corner of the 18-yard box and powered the ball into the upper right corner of the net.

With 21 goals this season, Ortega is second in the state in goals scored, behind only Soldotna’s Lane Hillyer (26 goals).

While he was not as busy as Feliz Feliz, Dimond’s Henry Kendall was clutch when it counted. After giving up a goal to East’s Javon Foster in the first half, Kendall shut out the T-Birds over the final 40 minutes.

East coach Felipe Abreu said they treated Friday’s game “like a final.”

The Thunderbirds needed to win Friday and two more conference games to guarantee a state tournament berth. After Friday’s loss, East will likely have to wait at least one more season to taste state tournament soccer. Only the top four Cook Inlet Conference teams receive an automatic berth, and East currently sits in sixth place.

“That was our goal, like, come in and win and obviously it was not the outcome we got,” Abreu said. “We’re trying also to kind of reinforce that need to be competitive at all times. Like, all through the game from the start to the end because even though it’s maybe not a game that is at hand today, you keep yourself competitive, you’re building those habits that will carry you into these games with a chance to winning.”

Abreu said the Thunderbirds are still developing the confidence that they can keep up with powerhouse schools like Dimond and South Anchorage, who East topped 1-0 in mid-April.

“It was a milestone for the program that we can compete,” Abreu said of the victory. “We can hopefully be a program that can draw players from competitive clubs that they can seize as an option to play and move on in their career.”

The Thunderbirds’ other three victories this year have come against single-win squads: Eagle River (April 11 and May 7) and Bartlett (May 11).

After winning just three games across three seasons (2021, 2022, 2023), East Anchorage notched three victories in 2024 and four in 2025.

“I’m really proud of these boys and how far they came and how they found bridges of translation to work together and become a team, become one team,” said Abreu. “The biggest takeaway from these guys is that you can build a strong soccer team at East High School.”

Dimond and seven other squads will face off in the ASAA Division I state tournament May 28-30 in the Valley. Dimond went 0-2 last year at state tournament.

Millwood says they’re ready for another go.

“We’re trying to go out the gate hard,” Millwood said. “We’re trying to just get the game done with (in the) first half.”