Ridgeline goalkeeper Lily Loyet saves the ball against Mountain Crest's Faith Newman on Thursday in Hyrum.
Ridgeline goalkeeper Lily Loyet saves the ball against Mountain Crest's Faith Newman on Thursday in Hyrum.
HYRUM — Being on the wrong side of another shootout was something the Mustangs were bound and determined to avoid.
Hadley Glenn made sure the third time was the charm for Mountain Crest.
Glenn came through with a pair of outstanding saves in the second half and then turned aside three of Ridgeline's four shots from the penalty spot to propel the defending 4A state champions to a victory over the Riverhawks in a much-anticipated Region 11 girls soccer match on Thursday evening at Lynn R. Miller Field. The two teams were scoreless after 100 minutes of action and Mountain Crest prevailed in the shootout, 2-0.
"Oh, it feels awesome," said Glenn, MC's sophomore goalkeeper. "It's (a) once-in-a-lifetime (experience), it feels like. It feels so good."
"Hadley's awesome," MC head coach Justin Beus said. "It was good to see her finally get her chance and to shine. She's a phenomenal keeper and showed it (tonight), and it was fun to watch."
Two of the Mustangs' three losses this season have been decided in shootouts. Ironically enough, the last Mountain Crest-Ridgeline showdown ended from the penalty spot after neither side was able to score in regulation or either 10-minute overtime period. The Mustangs won that 4A state semifinal match in a shootout and went on to beat Crimson Cliffs one day later.
"I'll tell you what, man, we've been practicing them before practice and after practice ever since those two PK losses (earlier this season)," Beus said. "... Finally, it was just nice to get that shootout win tonight."
Thursday's shootout ended after four rounds. The Riverhawks missed wide left on their first penalty and Glenn prevented the other three from finding the back of the net. Ridgeline keeper Lily Loyet, who likewise performed very well, also made a save in the shootout, plus she deflected the game-clinching PK by Anna McBride, which still had enough pace to trickle over the goal mouth. Andie Andrus buried an unsavable penalty one round earlier for the hosts.
Glenn was able to dive the right way on all four of Ridgeline's penalties.
"I don't know, I just kind of went with it," she said. "I just looked at their hips and reacted, and just hoped it would work."
Although nobody was able to score prior to the shootout, the showdown between the two teams atop the region standings was still an entertaining affair and one that featured some pretty big momentum swings. The Riverhawks (8-2, 2-1) got off to strong starts in each half, while the Mustangs (7-3, 3-0) played some of their best soccer later in each half.
Both teams had about the same amount of scoring opportunities, although the Riverhawks were significantly more accurate with theirs. Three of those shots seemed destined to find the back of the net, but Glenn was up to the challenge. The sophomore dove to her right in the first half to deny Taylor Miller, who tracked down a lovely through ball from Emilee Skinner. Glenn got just enough of Miller's shot to parry it aside for a corner kick. Glenn also displayed quick reflexes in smothering a 10-yard effort by Sydnee Zollinger early in the second half, and then robbed Caitlyn Parry on a venomous strike from distance a few minutes later.
Indeed, the Riverhawks were oh so close to extending their winning streak to eight.
"Their goalie made a couple of great saves," Ridgeline head coach Mark Tureson said. "She's a phenomenal goalkeeper. It's a game of inches and if we're an inch here, an inch there, we tuck one in. The ball comes off their player and happens to go over (the crossbar). Those are the little margins and when you're playing a team that's that good, those are the margins. So, I'm very proud of how our girls played. I think we played at a high level and the thing that's reassuring is it wasn't the highest we can play at."
It was a memorable performance for both backlines, inasmuch as this was the first time Mountain Crest and Ridgeline have been shut out during the 2022 campaign. The Mustangs' backline of Summer Sofonia, Bentli Barrera, Brittney Egbert and Rhauli Barrera have now played a big role in six clean sheets this season. Mountain Crest has allowed the fewest goals among all 4A sides so far with seven.
"Man, I'm telling you what, they're fun to have back there and they don't quit," Beus said of his back four. "They're awesome and I'm glad we have them on our team."
Likewise, Ridgeline's starting back four of Kenna Smith, Adeline Fiefia, Becky Wangsgard and Saige Wiser were up to the challenge Thursday, despite dealing with a handful of menacing forays into the 18-yard box by Mountain Crest standout Hadli Barrera. The Riverhawks currently rank second in 4A in fewest goals allowed with 10.
"I'm very proud of them," Tureson said. "There's some phenomenal girls on that (MC) team that have a lot of pace and they can hit shots from anywhere. And my challenge to (our backline) was to stay between them and the goal, and they worked their tails off tonight to do that."
Loyet only faced a few shots on frame throughout the match, but deftly came off her line very quickly and assertively to destroy three very promising Mustang attacks just in the nick of time in the opening half. Andrus did a good job of facilitating during the first 40 minutes of play for the hosts, who received a nice boost off the bench in the attack from Faith Newman.
Sky View (4-5, 1-2) dispatched of Logan (3-7, 1-2) by a 3-0 scoreline at home, while Green Canyon (8-2, 2-1) traveled to Garland and left with a 5-0 triumph over Bear River (3-6, 0-3).
Karlee Allen netted what proved to be the game-winner for the Bobcats in the first half, assisted by Amanda Erickson. Amalia Fonua recorded a brace in the second half for Sky View, with her second goal coming from the penalty spot.
Halle Hulce went the distance in goal for Sky View, which earned its second shutout of the season and first win in region action. The Bobcats are also the first team this season to keep the Grizzlies off the scoreboard.
"We are so proud of our girls and the way they played," SV head coach Stacee Sparrow said. "We've had some sick girls this week, so it was nice everyone could contribute and play a role in the win."
Meanwhile, the Wolves scored multiple goals in each half against the Bears. Cambree Tensmeyer finished with a brace for Green Canyon and also played a big part in another goal. Katelyn Jensen dished out three assists for the Wolves, who also got an assist from Capriel Winder, plus goals from Reese Cragun, Chloe Chambers and Austin Miller.
This was the second clean sheet of the season for the Wolves.
"This was a great win tonight," GC head coach Kirt Sadler said. "It can be hard to play a team that packs it in, but the girls were able to break them down and score some goals, which was nice. I am proud of these girls. They keep working hard and they never quit playing our game tonight. I am excited to play Sky View next week and to get another chance at Mountain Crest."
Jason Turner is a sports reporter for The Herald Journal. He can be reached at jturner@hjnews.com or 435-792-7237.
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