Crimson Cliffs, Pine View both fall in close contests at 4A state soccer semifinals

Written by Jeff Richards
October 23, 2020
Crimson Cliffs vs. Ogden, 4A state soccer semifinals at Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah, Oct. 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Stan Plewe, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The Crimson Cliffs and Pine View girls soccer teams both lost their respective state 4A semifinal matches Thursday evening, with Crimson Cliffs falling to top-seeded Ogden 2-1 and Pine View losing to Ridgeline 1-0.

Both contests were staged at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, home of Real Salt Lake professional soccer teams.

Defending state champion Ogden, the Region 10 champions with a 16-1 record, had not allowed a goal since Sept. 14. However, Crimson Cliffs snapped Ogden’s streak of eight straight shutouts when Allie Blanchard scored on a penalty kick to tie the score 1-1 with about 18 minutes left in the second half.

A few minutes later, the Tigers pulled ahead again when Celine Butters took an assist from Abby Buess and kicked it into the net for the go-ahead goal.

Despite the season-ending loss, Crimson Cliffs coach Andy Yergensen said he was particularly pleased with his team’s defensive efforts.

“I felt like our midfield and goalkeeper played great to make it a battle,” he said. “I really liked the play of Allie Blanchard. She seemed to have a lot of energy and played with a sense of urgency. Kenzie Palmer and Avery Cardenas were also bright spots for Crimson.”

Crimson Cliffs vs. Ogden, 4A state soccer semifinals at Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah, Oct. 22, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Stan Plewe, St. George News

Yergensen said the 12th-seeded Mustangs went a lot further in the playoffs than many had expected.

“I’m proud of our play these last two weeks,” he said. “I felt like the girls came together as a team. It was pretty exciting to get a run deep into the post-season.”

In the other semifinal game at Rio Tinto Thursday night, the No. 3 seed Ridgeline held off a tough challenge from 10th-seeded Pine View. Adeline Fiefia scored the game’s lone goal in the first half, but Pine View’s senior goalkeeper Kayley Eaton stopped numerous other shots throughout the game, helping keep the Panthers within striking distance. However, Pine View couldn’t convert any shots on goal and Ridgeline escaped with the 1-0 win.

Ridgeline and Ogden will face each other in the 4A championship game Friday at 2 p.m., also at Rio Tinto Stadium.

2A soccer

Southern Utah schools Parowan and Millard both lost to powerhouse opponents during the 2A state semifinals Thursday at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper. In the first game, defending state champion Rowland Hall defeated Parowan, 4-0.  In the game that followed, Real Salt Lake Academy shut out Millard 8-0. That puts Real Salt Lake against Rowland Hall in Monday’s championship game at Rio Tinto, a rematch of last year’s 2A title contest.

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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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