The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears boys soccer team completed a sweep of Railbelt Conference opponent West Valley on Saturday, defeating the Wolfpack 4-1 on the Adair Kennedy Park pitch. JDHS had won 1-0 on Friday evening, and is now 2-0 in conference play and 4-0 overall.
“We were just more offensively efficient today,” JDHS coach Gary Lehnhart said. “I thought actually we played a better defensive game yesterday and midfield game. I thought defensively we were better yesterday overall, not just our four backs, but we didn’t come at the game quite with the same energy. And that’s probably not surprising given the quick turnaround in the game and the night game before we played. I think the guys were pretty amped up and so they were a little flat I thought at the beginning. But Eric made that save and we just kept…I mean Kai’s goals were, you know you don’t coach that.”
The game started with a strong save in the box by sophomore keeper Erik Thompson as West Vally hit a corner and it connected in the box but was stopped. The game ended the same way, with Thompson defending and stopping a one-on-one shot.
“A game like this to me is personal growth,” Thompson said. “I did get scored on and I was personally bummed out about that goal because I personally knew I could have been there to save that, but it’s about the mindset of just moving on from that goal to the next place and to the next thing, and just doing the best you can for that next task that’s required of you.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Kevin Flores-Lopez puts a rebound goal past West Valley sophomore Leo Tape (12) during the Crimson Bears’ 4-1 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday at Adair Kennedy Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire).
Thompson noted that having the JDHS team behind him has been invaluable.
“They are really supportive,” he said. “Honestly I personally didn’t expect how supportive my teammates would be, especially in the back. But I cannot value them enough in the support that they’ve given me and the numerous supporting comments of just, like, ‘boot the ball harder, you got it, get a big one, nice save, good catch,’ just stuff like that. It really brings me confidence and gives me more of a drive to go for it.”
While Thompson’s first save ignited JDHS it was the first goal by Crimson Bears senior Kai Ciambor that caused an inferno.
Ciambor has been nursing an injury and not at full speed, but he rocketed a shot in from 20 yards straight out through defenders.
“Yeah that was big,” Ciambor said. “West Valley, we knew how good of a team they were. They’re kind of known as one of the best teams in our state. So we knew how big these games were, especially because they are conference games too. And so any motivation that I could help with the team, and whether that’s through goals or through energy, it’s the best. I love it.”
West Valley played one defender constantly following Ciambor through the midfield.
“I saw that he kind of disconnected from me for a little bit,” Ciambor said. “And so I took the opportunity. Sam (Mazon, soph.) gave me a great ball, and I just took a touch and shot it.”
West Valley would counter roughly five minutes later on a throw in that was scrummed about and the Wolfpack junior Adam Lassey touched it in past JDHS’ Thompson.
Ciambor responded almost instantly with his second goal. Senior Ahmir Parker hit a free kick and the rebound came out to Ciambor who looked far to distant to do any damage, and yet his kick laced straight through from 25 yards out and swung the back of the net up for a 2-1 lead.
“I think that one was a little better just because placement wise it was a little farther towards the corner,” Ciambor said. “My teammates played great. I mean, the goals go on the stat sheet, but my teammates they did everything for me. They made it easy for me. I try to stay pretty humble about it because they are the reason that I am the way that I am and the reason that I play the way that I do. They bless me with the opportunities to play the way that I do. So I’m just forever grateful for them.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Kellen Chester (10) works for a ball against West Valley junior Quinn Willis during the Crimson Bears’ 4-1 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday at Adair Kennedy Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire).
The second half started with JDHS applying pressure immediately across the pitch and junior Jesper Bennetsen came up with a huge defensive play to head a ball out of the Crimson Bears box and shortly after senior Ahmir Parker did the same.
A key momentum boost followed as Parker hit a corner kick into the West Valley box and Bennetsen headed it in with force for a 3-1 lead.
“Gary knows I’m tall and I can get in to the back and on defense I would use my head a lot like to clear out,” Bennetsen said. “So I just have to apply that in the goal and it just worked. The ball was through and I saw it, it’s like full momentum right into it…I love defense and I love being competitive and I kind of like slamming into people. I feel like that’s kind of fun but I love the scoring aspect too. I love to play offense but I like defense too and I’m better at defense.”
Ciambor would set up a final score as he blasted a shot into the West Valley box that rebounded out and junior Kevin Flores-Lopez nudged in a 4-1 final.
“We’ve struggled over the last two years with just having any kind of urgency in the box,” Lehnhart said. “I’m always surprised because I keep telling the guys it’s the way to score, get in there and score ugly. It’s remarkable how that is a skill just as much as anything else like dribbling or shooting, that feistiness to find a place to just knock it in. Jesper definitely has it. Noah (Ault, a junior) has it. I actually invented a belt. Like a wrestling belt that the professional wrestlers have that we give to guys who score goals that are ugly. And they love it. They love putting the belt on and whoever has the last one like today, Jesper had it but then he lost it. Because Kevin got another one right after him so Kevin gets to take it home.”
JDHS senior Kellen Chester received the team’s Lunch Pail Award.
“It’s all about just hard work and going in and doing your job,” Chester said. “I think kind of stayed back defensively, took care of the runs that they made and just focused on shutting it down before it got going and just helped keep the goals off the board…our mindset is just to keep them away from the goal, keep them out, just play passionate and just play hard. Play just like we love the game, which we do, so it’s fun.”
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé players defend their goal against West Valley during the Crimson Bears’ 4-1 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday at Adair Kennedy Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire).
JDHS coach Lehnhart also acknowledged the play of senior Reed Maier.
“He’s a hard worker,” Lehnhart said. “He’s been injured a bunch so it’s been a little bit of a slow start. He came late to this. Last year was his first year and he’s really helping us. He’s big and fast and physical, one of many…and I thought Ahmir (Parker) had a good two-game stretch. I thought he really showed that he was to be relied on, that guys could count on him to be physical.”
Lehnhart acknowledged more of the Crimson Bears including senior outside back Owen Rumsey and junior outside back Emmet Mesdag.
“West Valley had some talented players and we stood up,” Lehnhart said. “And I think that was the thing that surprised me was, against a good opponent, the situations I wasn’t sure about we did really, really well in.”
The sportsmanship of the day was captured at the game’s end as Ciambor and Bennestsen talked at length with West Valley junior Quinn Willis.
“It’s fun,” Willis said of competing against JDHS in Juneau. “The weather was better than we were expecting, especially today. We were dreading the weather. We were looking at it, it was like 34, snowing. I was like, ‘yeah, absolutely not, never coming down here again.’ But seriously, it was fun. First two games were conference games. Maybe it was a bad draw, but it was definitely a good experience. We’re looking forward to playing them again when they come up to Fairbanks.”
The JDHS boys had defeated Eagle River of Division I Cook Inlet Conference 8-1 and 12-0 to open the season. West Valley is 0-2 RBC and 0-2 overall.
JDHS plays at Division II Northern Lights Conference opponent Houston on Thursday and at DI RBC Colony (1-0 RBC, 8-0 overall) Friday and Saturday.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
