Monroe girls defeat North Pole in first Interior soccer match of 2025, boys tie

First-year Monroe Catholic head coach Jose Martinez said he watched the final minutes unfold “with confidence that they were going to secure that goal.”

“That was what we’ve been training for, preparing for the last several weeks, just to make sure to secure and connect on passes and also just finish, finish strong,” Martinez said after the match. “And that’s what the girls did.”

North Pole sophomore Alyssa Pearson scored 10 minutes into the match to give the Patriots the first lead. Five minutes later, sophomore Rory Morgan tied the match by rebounding a shot from Nafpliotis that North Pole’s goalie deflected.

For the next 60 minutes of game time, that seemed like it would be the last goal of the match.

Monroe Catholic junior goalkeeper Emma Walsh came up to prevent a breakaway goal in the first five minutes of the second half. She faced more shots than North Pole did and came up to the edge of the goalie’s box for another diving save with less than 10 minutes remaining.

After Pearson took a couple of shots in the final minutes, Nafpliotis suddenly scored her game-sealing goal to improve Monroe Catholic to 2-0 this season. The Rams opened the spring with an 11-0 win at Houston earlier this month. North Pole is now 1-3 overall.

The two teams’ first two matchups last season were ties, but Monroe Catholic beat the Patriots in a third matchup that was added to decide the Mid Alaska Conference, becoming the only Interior girls team to advance to the 2024 ASAA Division II state tournament. The Rams now have a leg up on the Patriots in their pursuit to get back to the state tournament.

“That was one of the big things we did today and even leading up to today’s game is [discuss] how big and important today’s game was and to get a good strong finish and win against North Pole,” Martinez said.

Monroe Catholic and North Pole will play again this season on May 22, a month after their first meeting.

The Patriots play West Valley next, this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Monroe Catholic girls face the Wolfpack next Tuesday, April 29.

Monroe Catholic boys rally for tie against North Pole

The North Pole boys led for the vast majority of their Tuesday match against Monroe Catholic, but the Rams overcame multiple two-goal deficits to end in a 3-3 tie.

Senior forward Niko Alvarado scored five minutes into the match, and the Patriots doubled their lead less than 10 minutes later when senior midfielder Gabriel Riberio sent a cross-body kick past the goalie and into the left corner of the net.

Monroe Catholic senior Jett McCullough scored on a header midway though the first half to cut the Patriots’ lead in half.

North Pole went back ahead by two scores within the first five minutes of the second half when junior forward Kyle Heineken sent a shot from 25 yards out just over the reach of the goalkeeper. However, McCullough scored on another header 25 minutes into the second half to make it a 3-2 match.

The Rams prevented a score on a penalty kick with less than 10 minutes remaining, and senior captain Talon Loving scored in the final minutes to force the tie.

Monroe Catholic is now 1-0-1, while North Pole is 0-2-2. Both teams finished with winning records last season, but North Pole outscored Monroe Catholic 12-1 between their two 2024 matches and was the only Interior boys team who advanced to the 2024 ASAA Division II state tournament. On Tuesday, the Patriots were without their lone 2024 ASAA Division II All-Tournament team honoree, Zach Denny, who suffered an injury earlier this season.

Despite not coming away with a win, North Pole can take some solace in scoring three goals Tuesday after combining for just one goal through its first three matches.

The Patriots play West Valley next, this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Rams’ next match is against the Wolfpack next Tuesday, April 29. Monroe Catholic and North Pole will play again this season on May 22, a month after their first meeting.