Girls soccer playoffs: Canyon View makes 3A semifinals, Millard upsets Parowan in 2A

Written by Jeff Richards
October 17, 2021
Paige Cummings of Millard scores the game's only goal in 1-0 win over Parowan in the 2A girls soccer playoffs, Parowan, Utah, Oct. 16, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — The Canyon View High School Falcons girls soccer team won its quarterfinal playoff game at home on Saturday, defeating Judge Memorial 1-0 to advance to the 3A state semifinals. Meanwhile, in Parowan, Millard upset region rival and 2A South champion Parowan by the same 1-0 score, sending the Eagles to the 2A semifinals.

Canyon View 1, Judge Memorial 0

No. 2 seeded Canyon View scored just one goal on Saturday but it proved to be enough to get a quarterfinal victory over No. 7 seed Judge Memorial.

The game’s only goal was scored in the eighth minute of the contest, when freshman Hadlee Farrow came in from the left wing and passed it across to fellow freshman Maya Nichols, who was coming in from the right side. Nichols drilled it past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

For the next 70 minutes or more, the teams battled each other at both ends, but neither team was able to convert any shots.

“It was a tough win,” said Canyon View head coach Steven Newman. “Judge is a fantastic, well-coached team. They have beaten many good teams.”

Canyon View vs. Judge Memorial, 3A girls soccer playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 16, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Newman said his coaching staff worked hard to prepare the players for the game.

“Playing at home was an advantage for us today,” he said. “We had a large crowd and played on our nice, grass field. I think that weighed in our favor.”

Newman said that even though his young players didn’t have much experience playing under pressure, they rose to the occasion.

“It was a good, maturing game for our young team,” he said.

Newman also had high praise for goalkeeper Niky Johnson and the other defensive players for maintaining the shutout.

The Falcons will next play No. 3 seeded Ogden in the 3A semifinals at Jordan High School in Sandy on Thursday, with the game scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. The other semifinal game earlier that evening will feature No. 1 Morgan vs. No. 4 Real Salt Lake Academy, at 5 p.m. at Jordan High.

The winners of those two matchups will then meet in Saturday’s 3A championship game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, starting at 2 p.m.

To see the full 3A bracket, click here.

Millard 1, Parowan 0

At Parowan, region rivals the Millard Eagles and Parowan went scoreless for more than an hour until Millard senior Paige Cummings broke the ice with a breakaway goal into the left corner of the net, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game.

Millard, the tournament’s sixth seed, managed to hold off the typically high-scoring Parowan team’s determined attempts to score for the remainder of the second half. After the clock ran out and the final whistle sounded, the Millard players rushed onto the center of the pitch in celebration.

Senior Lucy Freeman came away with a complete game shutout for the Eagles.

“They had a lot of shots,” admitted Millard coach Carl Camp. “But we the way we set up our defense this time, we kind of forced them to take their shots a little further out, so they weren’t coming in as hot and fast, which helped a lot.”

Millard had lost to Parowan both times they met during the regular season, by a 3-1 score both times.

“We had the first two games to learn from our mistakes,” Camp added. “I think it’s easier to learn from your mistakes than it is when you’re doing it right. So, we were able to make some adjustments there.”

Parowan head coach Becca Evans called the loss “heartbreaking.”

“We worked really hard and had some unfortunate situations, like a corner kick that should have been counted as a goal,” Evans said. “Our shots weren’t falling, after controlling the majority of the game.”

“It’s really hard to beat a team three times, but we really thought we would take that one home,” she added.

Evans said even though Parowan’s final game didn’t go as planned, she’s still proud of her players for going undefeated in region play this year and winning the 2A South title.

More than that, she said, the Rams “played constantly together as a team, and were one of the most selfless group of athletes I’ve ever coached.”

Parowan finished the season with an overall record of 13-4.

Meanwhile, Millard (12-6 overall on the season) next faces No. 2 seed Waterford on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper. The other 2A semifinal game starts at 3 p.m. on that same field, with No. 1 seed and defending champion Rowland Hall facing No. 4 seed American Heritage Academy.

The winners of the two semifinal games on Thursday will then meet on Saturday for the 2A state championship game, scheduled for 5 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

To see complete 2A bracket, click here.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, 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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