The 2016 Northern Lights Conference Soccer Championships crowned the Kenai boys and Wasilla girls as tournament champions and the Kenai girls and SoHi boys earn state tournament berths.
Both Kenai soccer teams advanced to the Northern Lights Conference championship games on Saturday at KCHS, with both Kardinal teams having earned spots to the ASAA 4A State Soccer Championships.
NLC Tournament Saturday Game Results
Girls 3rd Place Game: Colony 2 – SoHi 1 Colony earns 3rd seed to state
Boys 3rd Place Game: SoHi 5 – Kodiak 2 SoHi earns 3rd seed to state
…Timmy Smithwick recorded a three-goal, hat trick.
Girls Championship Game: Kenai 0 – Wasilla 1
…Kenai and Wasilla tied 0-0 after overtime; Wasilla wins on penalty kicks
Boys Championship Game: Kenai 3 – Colony 1
…Braydon Goodman and Zack Tuttle staked Kenai to a 2-0 lead and Damien Redder added an insurance goal.
NLC Tournament Friday Game Results
Girls Bracket
SoHi 1 – Wasilla 3
…The Stars were upset in the second round by Wasilla 3-1. SoHi scored first on a Marlayna Saavedra goal; however, failed to score for the remainder of the contest. SoHi will play Colony in the third place game for a spot in the state tournament at 10 a.m. at KCHS.
Kenai 3 – Colony 0
…The Kardinal girls shutout Colony 3-0 to earn a spot in the state soccer championships and to advance to the NLC title game on Saturday. Kenai goals were scored by Samantha Morse and a pair of goals for Hayley Maw. Kenai plays Wasilla in the title game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.at KCHS.
Boys Bracket
SoHi 3 – Colony 4 OT
…SoHi fell to the Colony Knights 4-3 in overtime allowing a game-winning goal in the first minute of the overtime period. SoHi goals were scored by Andrew Hammond, Ben Godfrey and Timmy Smithwick.
SoHi plays Kodiak in the third place game for a slot to state at KCHS at noon on Saturday.
Kenai 7 – Kodiak 2
…The Kardinals earn a state berth and a shot at the NLC titile with a 7-2 victory over Kodiak. Zack Tuttle and Max Dye both recorded three-goal, hat tricks and Karl Danielson added a single goal. Kenai advances to the NLC championship game Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at KCHS.
NLC Tournament First Round Results
Five of the tournament’s first eight games were shutouts; the Kodiak boys recorded the only upset by a lower seeded team with a 3-2 PK decision over Wasilla.
Girls Bracket
#1N Wasilla 8 – #4S Nikiski 0
#2N Colony 6 – #3S Homer 0
#1S Kenai 4 – 4S Palmer 0
—Kenai girls goals scored by Samantha Morse, Cori Holmes and Lara Creighton (2)
#2S SoHi 2 – #3N Grace 0
Boys Bracket
#1N Colony 1 – #4S Homer 0
#2N Wasilla 2 – #3S Kodiak 3
#2S SoHi 6 – #3N Palmer 1
#1S Kenai 3 – #4N Grace 0
—Kenai goals scored by Damien Redder and Zack Tuttle (2)
Southern Division teams representing SoHi, Kenai, Homer, Kodiak and Nikiski are paired against Northern Division teams representing Wasilla, Palmer, Colony, and Grace in the tournaments first round.