JDHS soccer girls fall 2-1 to Soldotna

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears girls had their chances in Thursday’s game against visiting Soldotna, outshooting the Stars three-to-one on the Adair Kennedy Memorial Park soccer pitch, but falling by the score of 2-1.

“We are still struggling with keeping the ball in bounds and making the back line turn,” JDHS coach Matt Dusenberry said. “But, granted, there was improvement because we certainly had a lot more shots on goal and their keeper did really well with several of them. So I would say we had some improvement, but certainly the game didn’t go the way we were hoping today.”

JDHS easily outshot Soldotna and the barrage started early with senior forward Milina Mazon hitting a shot over the goal, sophomore forward Riley Schultz blasting a shot from the top that Soldotna sophomore keeper Ryan Queen covered and freshman midfielder Ayla Erickson put a shot wide.

The Crimson Bears had a goal disallowed on a questionable offside call, but then resumed their aggressive attacking, earning a corner by junior forward Peyton Wheeler that was cleared out of the Soldotna box, and then Erickson won the ball and pushed it to Wheeler who passed it along to Mazon, but her shot was covered by Soldotna’s Queen.

“On all of our other games one of the things we really wanted to work on was to be first to every single ball,” Erickson said. “And not passing square balls and stuff, getting a head of it, being first to the ball and just getting some shots on goal. We were definitely better on the 50-50 balls, getting to them, and I thought we made some nice plays down the line and stuff.”

JDHS senior defending midfielder Natalie Travis would put a free kick on target by Soldotna’s Queen covered the shot and Wheeler would pass to Erickson on the next possession, but it too was covered.

Soldotna countered on the last shot and Stars senior forward Jazzalynn McDonald took a pass from senior midfielder Sadie Lane on a countering run and put a hard shot low past JDHS junior keeper Alba Muir for a 1-0 lead.

“It was really nice,” McDonald said. “I had a really good assist by Sadie Lane, she sent the ball to center and I just took it and went right bottom corner…the game was exhausting, honestly, it was a long flight, we got up like at four in the morning. We were up all morning, got to get a little nap on the plane but, you know, we have been rallying, just going at it…It was a good game. They are definitely a tough team. They have a lot of heart in their game.”

McDonald was a member of Soldotna’s past three state tournament teams, including 2023’s state title. The Stars placed third last year behind JDHS and Kenai. JDHS won the DII title in 2022.

“We’re hopefully going to get it this year,” McDonald said. “We’re going to work hard for it.”

JDHS worked hard to counter on the very next possession as Travis played a perfect pass ahead to Wheeler who hit a hard shot that Soldotna’s Queen managed to get a hand on but could not stop and it tied the game at 1-1.

JDHS would have seven more shots before the first half ended.

Soldotna started the second half by putting a shot off the JDHS crossbar.

JDHS would be awarded a penalty kick on their next possession. Erickson rocketed a shot that Soldotna’s Queen blocked and then retrieved before the Crimson Bears could get to it.

Soldotna then just missed the JDHS goal wide and the next four shots were all missed by the Crimson Bears as the ebb and flow of action favored neither team.

Soldotna would take a 2-1 lead midway through the second half as sophomore midfielder Jillian Duncan struck from 28 yards out.

JDHS’ Schultz, sophomore Alyssa Travis, Wheeler and sophomore Clairee Overson all had shots that were covered by Soldotna’s Queen as time ran down and with two minutes left the Stars Lane and sophomore Rowan Peck both missed the Crimson Bears net high.

A last hard shot by Wheeler just missed the top of the Soldotna goal as time expired.

JDHS junior defending midfielder Kenzie Simonson earned the team’s Hard Hat Award for her endurance.

“I got this because every game I play the whole 80 minutes,” Simonson said. “And coach basically said I put a lot of good work in so I stay on the field…Tonight wasn’t the result we wanted but I think we put a lot of good work in and even though it wasn’t what we wanted to happen we played pretty good and we did what we could and now we just have to keep moving forward.”

JDHS will play at Lathrop and West Valley next weekend on a road trip to Fairbanks.

“We get back to work tomorrow,” JDHS coach Dusenberry said. “And early next week in the hopes that we are prepared for our Fairbanks trip.”

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.