Region 9 soccer: Warriors end Flyer Field jinx, hold on to 1st place

Dixie vs. Snow Canyon, Soccer, St. George, Utah, Sept. 20, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Brielle Hoskins scored one goal and Snow Canyon capitalized on a Dixie own goal to record a 2-1 victory in Region 9 girls soccer on Tuesday.

“This is the first time we’ve beaten them on this (Flyer) field in four years,” noted Warrior coach Kenny Kunde.

snow-canyon-logodixie-logoSnow Canyon (4-1, 7-4-1) and Dixie 2-2-1, 6-2-1) both got off shots in the early moments with goalkeepers Megan Rodgers and Mashaun Estridge picking up saves. After that, however, the defenses took over.

Snow Canyon's Megan Weston (8) fires a shot on goal, Dixie vs. Snow Canyon, Soccer, St. George, Utah, Sept. 20, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Snow Canyon’s Megan Weston (8) fires a shot on goal, Dixie vs. Snow Canyon, Soccer, St. George, Utah, Sept. 20, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Brielle Hoskins finally broke the scoring drought as she scored a goal with five minutes remaining in the first half.

About 90 seconds later, SC’s Heidi Smith blasted a shot off Arantxa Melendez’s corner kick and the Warriors got a goal when a Dixie player put the ball into the net during the scramble for the rebound.

“We did a good job executing our game plan,” Kunde said. “Our defense did a lot of work this week staying engaged and dealing with speed. Their two fast girls only got behind us a couple of times.”

Starlee Woodbury, one of those speedsters, scored off a free kick from Ashlyn Smith with 30 minutes left in the game.

“The girls did a good job,” Kunde said. “It was a fantastic effort. We had the run of play most of the way.”

Snow Canyon now has 12 points, two ahead of second-place Hurricane, as the teams hit the halfway point of region play. The second-half of the region schedule begins Thursday night as the Warriors travel to Pine View. SC beat the Panthers 3-1 earlier this month.

Dixie sits in third place with seven points, two behind Hurricane and one ahead of Desert Hills. The Flyers are at Cedar Thursday afternoon.

Hurricane 2, Cedar 0

Hurricane kept pace with Snow Canyon by blanking Cedar. The Tigers (3-1-1, 7-3-1) got goals from Shanel Stevens and Mylee Moon.

hurricane-logocedar-logo“Cedar (2-3, 4-5) hit the crossbar in the first five minutes and my girls responded,” noted Hurricane coach Luke Stevens. “We got our first goal about 25 minutes on an assist from Abby Hall to Shanel. The second half was back-and-forth until there was a through ball and we got a nice finish from our freshman, Moon.

“The girls played with a lot of heart and intensity after our loss to Snow Canyon last week,” Stevens said. “I couldn’t be happier with my girls. They’ve played well the first half and done everything I’ve asked of them.”

It’s the second goal of the year for Moon and the third for Stevens. Hurricane, which went 0-10 last year in region and only scored one goal in those 10 matches, is just two points out of first place at the region’s halfway point. The Tigers are at Desert Hills Thursday night.

Cedar, with six points, is tied for fourth. Only four teams make the postseason. The Lady Reds host Dixie Thursday afternoon.

Pine View 2, Desert Hills 1

Erin Callahan and Whitney Christensen scored to lift the Panthers (1-4, 2-8) to the victory over the Thunder (2-3, 5-4-2). Brooklyn Lott had the Desert Hills goal.

pine-view-logodesert-hills-logoThe Thunder dominated possession and had a 29-4 advantage in shots.

“This was a good win for us,” said PV coach Kenzie Hawes. “In the first half, we figured out their whole attack and adjusted to it so they didn’t get as many shots. Then we adjusted our attack at halftime. The girls really wanted that win.”

It is Callahan’s second goal of the year and the third for Christensen. Lott scored her second of the season.

It was a must-win for the Panthers, who are three points out of fourth place in region play halfway through the region schedule. Pine View hosts Snow Canyon Thursday night.

D-Hills is tied for fourth with six points. The Lady Thunder host Hurricane Thursday night.

Region 9 girls soccer standings (team, reg., pts, ovrl)
Snow Canyon 4-1-0, 12, 7-4-1
Hurricane 3-1-1, 10, 7-3-1
Dixie 2-2-1, 7, 6-2-1
Desert Hills 2-3, 6, 5-4-2
Cedar 2-3-0, 6, 4-5-0
Pine View 1-4-0, 3, 2-8-0

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Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

 

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