Region 9 girls soccer recap: Low-scoring games open regular season

Written by Jeff Richards
August 21, 2020
A Cedar player takes a shot near Pine View's goal, Pine View at Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2020 | Photo by London Richards for St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — Thursday’s regular season openers for the girls soccer teams of Region 9 were all low-scoring contests, with three of the four games ending in 1-0 scores and the fourth one ending on a penalty kick shootout after 100 scoreless minutes.

Both Cedar and Canyon View won their home games in the afternoon, while evening home teams Hurricane and Crimson Cliffs both fell in overtime. Here’s a recap of Thursday’s action.

Canyon View 1, Snow Canyon 0

At Canyon View, the Falcons got off to a quick start with senior Addison Newman scoring off a beautiful cross from Maizee Hallow three minutes into the game. That lone goal turned out to be the game-winner.

“It was back-and-forth the rest of the game,” said Canyon View head coach Steven Newman, who is Addison’s father, calling the contest “a clean but physical game.”

“Snow Canyon is a great team,” he added. “They are well-coached and they played hard. They played great defense.”

Snow Canyon at Canyon View, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 20, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Deirdre Barton, St. George News / Cedar City News

“We are still learning how to be competitive,” Newman added. “We are still trying to figure out how to hold our own in Region 9. Today was a good start, but we have a long way to go.”

Cedar 1, Pine View 0

At Cedar City, the Cedar Reds got an early goal from freshman Rylan Tebbs, assisted by Keana Tolman. Neither team scored the rest of the way in what was an evenly matched battle. Cedar goalkeeper Kelsie Oldroyd picked up the shutout.

Dixie 1, Hurricane 0

At Hurricane, the Tigers battled the Dixie Flyers to a scoreless tie at the end of regulation. During the second half, Dixie goalkeeper Katie Mills made a clutch save to keep the slate clean. Then, about three minutes into the first overtime, Kimberly Morales of Dixie dribbled past two defenders and managed to kick the ball into the net for the sudden-death victory.

Desert Hills 0, Crimson Cliffs 0 (Desert Hills won in penalty shoot-out 5-4)

In Crimson Cliffs’ Region 9 home opener, the Mustangs challenged one of the best teams in the region. The senior loaded Thunder was held scoreless, as were the Mustangs as the game went into penalty shootouts to determine the winner.

Desert Hills at Crimson Cliffs, Washington, Utah, Aug. 20, 2020 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News / Cedar City News

“I felt like there were moments we really controlled the game and passed really well,” Desert Hills head coach Benji Nelson said in a text. “Then other times we struggled and Crimson stepped it up. We played 100 minutes of soccer tonight and then all five of our girls selected to kick the PK’s came through with confidence.”

On their fifth and final shootout attempt, Crimson Cliffs could not put the ball in the back of the net, and Desert Hills came away with the 5-4 win in the penalty shoot-out.

Nelson spoke highly of the competition in Region 9, saying it will be another tough region.

“The question is, what team is going to find consistent goal scores to lead their team to victory,” Nelson said.

— written by Ryne Williams

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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