ST. George — The Dixie and Snow Canyon boys soccer teams are tied for first in the Region 9 standings midway through the regular season.
Dixie won 3-1 in a penalty shootout at home against Snow Canyon on Tuesday night, improving the district record for both teams to 5-1.
Dixie coach Travis Wilkinson told the St. George News: “I give credit to their (Warriors') defense and the goaltender's great saves.”
“There's a reason why they finished first in the region. They were able to defend and find ways to score goals,” he added, “so I give a lot of credit to their coach. They do a good job and have a great group of kids.”
At the same time, Wilkinson said, “It felt like they were knocking on the door all night.”
Dixie controlled the pace of play and held the ball for most of the game, especially in the second half, when Snow Canyon finished without a shot on goal.
In the second half, Dixie's shot hit the post and the shot bounced off the crossbar, but the Flyers were unable to find the back of the net.
Two overtime periods passed quickly and the game remained scoreless.
In the decisive shootout, Dixie junior goaltender Mason Randolph stopped three of the four penalty kicks he faced.
Randolph, who is 6-foot-3 and has a wingspan that covers a lot of the cage, said he has a simple mindset in the shootout.
“I'm going to save it,” Randolph said, adding that she wasn't nervous. “It's a big win for us. We had a lot of chances to make shots and we missed them. We'll work on that in practice. But we did a great job.”
Scoring for Dixie in the shootout were Iker Meza, Joe Pasley and Taylor Cogan.
“I like the opportunities in this area because I’ve seen everyone,” Wilkinson said. “It's tough to beat a team twice. And at the end of the schedule, you play the majority of your games on the road. So it's going to be tough to go on the road and win.”
Dixie is at Pine View on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Snow Canyon is next Friday at Cedar Friday at 4 p.m.
Pineview 2, Hurricane 1
All three goals were scored in the second half. Andy Prudencio and Bruce Jacobs scored for the Panthers.
No other details were available.
The Hurricanes next play at home against the Crimson Cliffs on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Desert Hills 5, Cedar 0
Thunder goaltender Aiden Chin earned a shutout victory on the road.
Desert Hills scored one goal in the first half and had four more markers in the second half for the win. Carson Clark led the Thunder with two goals.
Boone Heaton found the back of the net and had two assists in the win. Zach Davis and Dillon Bingham also scored solo goals in the win.
Noah Nield had a hat trick of assists for Desert Hills with three helpers total. Desert Hills receives a bye on Friday and returns to Region 9, playing at home against Crimson Cliffs on April 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Region 9 boys soccer standings (regional, overall) mid-schedule:
- Dixie 5-1, 7-1
- Snow Canyon 5-1, 5-2
- Crimson Cliff 4-2, 5-3
- Desert Hills 3-3, 4-4
- Pineview 2-4, 2-6
- Cedar 2-4, 2-6
- Hurricanes 0-6, 0-8
Photo gallery
Copyright Saint George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, All Rights Reserved.