Dimond overcame a bad break and a balky Bartlett side to advance into the semifinals of the state soccer tournament with a 2-0 win over the Golden Bears on Thursday night at Bartlett.
Jack Sedor scored a pair of goals for the Lynx, who had to shake off the shock of losing defender Brent Quinn to a gruesome arm injury midway through the first half.
"We played for him," Sedor said after the match. "He's the heart and soul of this team."
Quinn's injury happened less than a minute after Sedor gave Dimond a 1-0 lead with a firecracker of a free kick that blasted through the hands of Bartlett keeper Daylan Barganier. Just after the re-start, Quinn and Bartlett forward Chase Alexander went airborne after a high ball, with Alexander cutting underneath the Dimond senior. Quinn fell awkwardly on his right forearm, which was visibly bent in the wrong direction.
After a 15-minute delay, Quinn huddled with his teammates for a moment before leaving for a waiting ambulance.
Sedor said the injury served to galvanize Dimond's will.
"I think it might even be a motivating factor for us, knowing he's pulling for us," said Sedor, who called Quinn "the best defender in the state."
Dimond's lead remained 1-0 at halftime thanks to a pair of stellar saves by Barganier, who denied James Curro and Trask Shamburg on back-to-back blasts just before the break.
Bartlett tried to claw its way back in the second half, creating a handful of chances and giving Dimond plenty of push-back en route to a pair of yellow cards. Sedor said he didn't expect anything less from the Golden Bears, who were making their first appearance at state since the Alaska School Activities Association began sanctioning the tournament in 2000.
"They're an unbelievably coached team, and they play extremely hard," he said. "We had to have a great team performance to beat them."
Sedor added an insurance goal in the 73rd minute by converting a penalty kick awarded when Curro was hauled down in the penalty box by Tadashi Tanaka.
Dimond will face Kenai Central in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m. in the second of two boys' semifinals at Bartlett. The Kardinals defeated Northern Lights Conference rival Homer 1-0 in Thursday's early match at Bartlett. In the other half of the bracket, South defeated defending state champion Colony 2-0 at Eagle River, where Juneau-Douglas downed West Valley 3-0. The Wolverines and Crimson Bears will meet at 3 p.m. at Bartlett on Friday.
The semifinals are a who's who of Alaska boys' prep soccer. Dimond, South and Juneau have combined to win 12 of 15 state titles since 2000, with Juneau and South claiming five crowns each and the Lynx earning two. Kenai is the lone outlier in the group – the upstart Kardinals have never reached a state soccer final.
Sedor said he doesn't know much about Kenai, but he's expecting another battle.
"We've just got to stick to our game," said the reigning Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year. "Any game in state is going to be a tough one."
Contact reporter Matt Tunseth at 257-4335 or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com