Cook Inlet Academy senior Hunter Moos provided the fireworks in CIA’s 5-1 quarterfinal win over Holy Rosary Academy at the 2018 Borealis Conference tournament Thursday at Anchorage’s Kincaid Park.
Moos scored a hat trick for CIA in the tournament opener, helping move the Eagles soccer team to the tournament semifinals. CIA entered as the No. 1 seed, and advanced to a 4:30 p.m. Friday semi against third-seeded Delta Junction.
Earlier this year, the Eagles defeated Delta 3-1, giving the team confidence as they eye a championship in the season-ending tournament.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play (Delta),” said CIA head coach Kenny Leaf. “They’re a super team.”
Moos got the Eagles on the board early Thursday with a goal in the fifth minute, then added two more scores in the last minute before halftime and in the first minute after the break.
James Anderson also caused trouble for Holy Rosary, scoring in the 22nd minute with an assist from Sophie Nelson to put CIA up 2-0, then setting up Moos in the 40th minute for a 3-0 lead.
Leaf said the Eagles were able to utilize the artificial turf field at Kincaid to their advantage, as the Eagles’ style of passing is emphasized well.
“The turf suits us well,” Leaf said. “We are a controlled, short-passing team, and on the turf, everything is true, the way the ball rolls as it comes off the turf helps us.”
Addie Nelson played a through ball to Moos in the 41st minute to begin the second half, and Moos converted to push CIA’s lead to 4-0, and Nelson scored one herself just two minutes later on a cross from sister Sophie Nelson.
“It’s very encouraging to see the style of play,” Leaf added. “We really controlled the ball well, played feet to feet, had good communication and were very expansive. We had lots of space to do the kind of things we like to do.”
Holy Rosary scored with just three minutes left in regulation to ruin a shutout by Cook Inlet goalkeeper Lucas Cragg.
Delta Junction topped host school Lumen Christi 6-2 to advance. The semifinal matchup with Delta came after a late change to the tournament bracket by the Lumen Christi tournament director after an omitted regular season game involving Wasilla Lake Christian was added to the mix.
CIA remained the top seed, but the added Wasilla Lake score resulted in several seeds changing.
It also resulted in CIA’s matchup with third-seeded Delta today.
In other results, Su-Valley shut out Birchwood Christian 4-0 and Wasilla Lake beat Tri-Valley 5-1.
Saturday’s tournament title game is 4:30 p.m. at Begich Middle School.
