Juneau-Douglas senior Malia Miller scored four goals in a 5-0 win over Thunder Mountain on Wednesday night at Thunder Mountain High School.
With the win, JDHS improved to 7-0 on the season, extending their shutout win streak to 11 games dating back to last season. Thunder Mountain fell to 0-2 with the loss.
Miller, last week’s MaxPrep’s Alaska Player of the Week, leads the state with 16 goals this season, having scored in all but one game for the undefeated Crimson Bears.
Juneau-Douglas’ Brianna Jokerst, left, and Thunder Mountain’s Keana Villanueva battle for the ball at TMHS on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. JDHS won 5-0. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
“She’s always been a special player, even before high school, but she certainly is having a nice little clip of games right now,” JDHS coach Matt Dusenberry said.
[PHOTOS: See photos from the Wednesday night action here]
Sophomore Taylor Bentley opened the scoring for JDHS around the 15th minute, converting on a free kick outside the penalty box.
Miller added to the JDHS lead a few minutes later on a long pass from freshman Blake Plummer. The playmaking freshman dribbled the ball along the far sideline and passed it up to Miller, who raced up the perimeter of the field while several defenders gave chase. With just plenty of field in front of her, Miller struck the ball into the right corner of the net.
Thunder Mountain’s Emily Heaton, right, attempts to block Juneau-Douglas’ Blake Plummer from the ball at TMHS on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. JDHS won 5-0. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
She was only getting started.
Miller scored her team’s next three goals, two unassisted, and one from senior Brianna Jokerst.
[Here’s how the boys’ Wednesday night games went]
Despite not scoring any goals, TMHS coach John Newell was happy with his team’s play, and excited with the direction they are headed.
“Obviously, JD is a very good team as evident by none of the Division I teams being able to score on the either,” Newell said via text message Thursday. “Even so, my girls were able to hold quite a bit of possession, had some really good passing sequences and played some very good-looking soccer. They are a young squad that is improving rapidly and I’m looking forward to seeing where they are at as a team by the end of the season.”
JDHS plays against Homer on Friday at 6:15 p.m. at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field. TMHS takes on Ketchikan at 8 p.m. at TMHS later in the night.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.
