Though the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé girls soccer team are obviously known as the Crimson Bears, they might as well change their names to butter because with a 4-0 start to their season they’re on a roll.
The Crimson Bears took on Thunder Mountain High School for the second time this season on Tuesday for a 3-0 victory. Along with four conference wins into the season, the Crimson Bears girls also have four consecutive state championships to match. JDHS coach Matt Dusenberry said he attributes much of the team’s continued success to a determined mindset and positive work ethic.
JDHS sophomore Cerys Hudson (6) takes the ball down field against TMHS junior Kaidree Hartman (36) on Tuesday during a conference game at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)
“Over the last few years, the willingness of our kids to come to practice and games with the mindset of always trying to get a little bit better than the last time they had,” Dusenberry said. “They strive to work as hard as they can and not worry about the results of things but more so just putting forth their best effort because usually, not in all cases, but usually it will at least give you a chance.”
While it took a while for a ball to find the back of the goal, JDHS sophomore Milina Mazon and junior Nikki King managed to score a goal apiece right before the half. Mazon and junior Cadence Plummer collectively scored one last goal after halftime and the JDHS “Hard Hat” honors went to Mazon.
TMHS junior Adella Dihle (38) defends the ball from JDHS junior Finley Sullivan on Tuesday during the second conference game of the season for the two cross-town rivals. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)
Dusenberry said that with having no games last week, it allowed for extra practice time which also gave the team time to reflect on applying what they’ve learned in practice rather than continually relying on what’s worked for them in the past.
“Once we started to kind of trust that the things we have been working on would work, it kind of opened things up for us and that’s where we saw right before the half Milina (Mazon) scored one and then Milina played it into Nikki (King) to score another one for the first two goals before halftime,” Dusenberry said. “We were playing a little too direct in my opinion but once we started to stretch it out a little bit, it opened up things for us for sure.”
TMHS senior Mercedes Cordero (8) kicks the ball down field for the Falcons on Tuesday during a conference game against JDHS. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)
TMHS coach Cindy Eriksen said that coming off of the team’s first loss against JDHS, the Falcons spent time focusing on how to move forward and learn from the errors made during the first game.
“I am really proud of how the girls came together last night and put our discussions and practice into play during the game,”Eriksen said. “While the score was not in our favor, the team walked away from the game in high spirits knowing that we have improved from our last outing and there is still room for growth.”
Next up, both JDHS and TMHS will face off against Wheat Ridge High School from Colorado. First, TMHS plays on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Thunder Mountain’s field and then JDHS will play on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park adjacent from Floyd Dryden Middle School.
Dusenberry said that it’s tough to be familiar with a team’s playing style when they’re coming to town from as far away as Colorado, but unknowns aside, the Bears are excited to welcome the Farmers from the Lower 48. Additionally, Dusenberry said much credit is due d to Juneau Tours for escorting the Colorado team around town free of charge.
“Even though we’re far enough away from Anchorage and things like that, I’ve gotten to know enough coaches to get a sense as to how other teams play,” Dusenberry said. “But I know Dan (Watkins) and we’re excited to have them up here to be able to play Thunder Mountain on Thursday and then play us on Saturday.”
• Contact reporter Jonson Kuhn at jonson.kuhn@juneauempire.com.
