ST. GEORGE — Three games into Region 9’s regular soccer season, only Desert Hills remains unbeaten and untied in region play. The Lady Thunder defeated Crimson Cliffs on Thursday night to improve to 3-0 in region. Meanwhile, at Hurricane, the Lady Tigers battled Dixie to a 2-2 tie, dropping Hurricane’s overall record to 2-0-1, while Dixie’s is now 1-1-1.

Following are recaps of this week’s contests:

Thursday’s games

Desert Hills 2, Crimson Cliffs 0

In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Desert Hills started off the game with a quick goal in the 38th minute of the first half. The Thunder did a great job of keeping possession of the ball and putting pressure on the Mustangs throughout the game. One thing Desert Hills struggled with was finishing looks.

“We a lot of times look really pretty, which is great, but what didn’t stand out was our finishing,” Thunder head coach Benji Nelson said. “We’re getting and creating opportunities, but we aren’t putting it in the hoop.”

The second goal of the game came on a Crimson Cliffs own goal.

“One time we left someone unmarked on the back end. Our second big mistake was an own goal,” Mustangs head coach Andy Yergensen said. “We have limited players, so we didn’t want to get outrun. We kind of had a strategy to let them possess. We tried to concentrate on defending our area instead of getting out and chasing them. A lot of that is their skill, and a lot of it is just that we’re young.”

With the 2-0 win, Desert Hills stayed undefeated on the season, and the Thunder are in first place in Region 9. Crimson Cliffs is still winless, but Yergensen said the young program will only get better as time goes on.

“A lot of these girls came from different schools, and a lot of us are still trying to get to know each other,” Yergensen said.

— Contributed by Ryne Williams, St. George News

Snow Canyon 7, Canyon View 2

At Canyon View, the Snow Canyon Lady Warriors scored in the opening minutes of the game, thanks to a penalty kick that was booted into the net by Heidi Smith. Snow Canyon got its second goal from a corner kick about 10 minutes before halftime, then added two more.

Tylei Jensen scored two goals for Snow Canyon, while five other players each added one goal apiece. The Warriors, who improved to 1-2 with the win, kept Canyon View goalkeeper Aspen Bergener busy with 27 shots on goal.

Cedar City 5, Pine View 1

At Cedar City, the Lady Reds used a strong first half to wear down the Pine View Panthers.

Cedar led 3-0 at halftime, then added two more scores in the second half. Kelsi Oldroyd scored two goals, while teammates Logann Laws, Emily Schuh and Lexi Bird each added one. Pine View’s only score came late in the game on a nicely placed kick by Katelyn Leavitt that went into the top of the net, just over the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Denim Henkel.

The win marked the second straight victory for the Lady Reds, who also defeated Crimson Cliffs 4-1 on Tuesday night in St. George.

Henkel said afterward she was pleased with her team’s efforts, both offensively and defensively. After losing their season opener at Dixie last week, Cedar regrouped and refocused as a team, Henkel said.

“Our captains gave us a little speech that I think put a fire under our butts, and it was super good,” Henkel said, adding that her teammates’ defense was “awesome” in keeping Pine View from getting very many shots on goal.

“We just worked on throwing the ball in the box,” Cedar head coach Scott Kamachi said. “That game at Dixie, we made a few mistakes that led directly to them scoring, and we’re going to have to cut that out.”

– Contributed by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Hurricane 2, Dixie 2

At Hurricane, the Tigers scored first to go up 1-0, but Dixie then tied it up. Hurricane then went ahead 2-1 by halftime, but in the second half, Dixie managed to once again even the score.

Neither team was able to score again, even through two sudden-victory overtime periods. Lena Stevens and Mylee Moon were Hurricane’s goal scorers.

Tuesday’s games

Cedar 4, Crimson Cliffs 1

At the soccer fields in Little Valley, the Cedar City Lady Reds defeated Crimson Cliffs 4-1, thanks to two goals by Logann Laws and one apiece by Becca Boyer and Lexi Bird. Cedar led 2-0 at the half. The Mustangs’ only goal was scored by Lainee Moss.

Pine View 7, Canyon View 5

In a high scoring game at Canyon View, the Pine View Panthers overcame a 3-2 halftime deficit to outlast the Lady Falcons, 7-5. Three different players each scored two goals for Pine View, namely Brynlee Johnston, Emma Lloyd and Katelyn Leavitt. For Canyon View, Cassidy Cox led the way with two goals, while Addison Newman, Maia Florence and Maddy Roberts each scored one.

“We’re still young, making a lot of mistakes but working hard to improve as a team,” said first-year head coach Steven Newman of Canyon View. “We got down early 2-0, scored three goals, then got down again. We came back but could not hold the tie and gave up two goals late in the game.”

Hurricane 4, Snow Canyon 2

At Snow Canyon, the Hurricane Tigers used three second-half goals to pick up a win over the defending state champions. Snow Canyon trailed 1-0 at halftime but managed to get on the board twice in the second half, with Heidi Smith scoring both goals. Hurricane’s balanced scoring attack kept the Lady Tigers ahead until the end.

Desert Hills 1, Dixie 0

At Dixie High, Desert Hills prevailed over the Flyers in a defensive battle. Lulu Harris scored the only goal of the contest during the first half, while teammate Mikenna DeCastro earned the shutout at goalkeeper.

Region 9 girls soccer standings (as of Aug. 30)

1. Desert Hills 3-0
2. Hurricane 2-0-1
3. (tie) Cedar 2-1
4. (tie) Pine View 2-1
5. Snow Canyon 1-2
6. Dixie 1-1-1
7. (tie) Canyon View 0-3
8. (tie) Crimson Cliffs 0-3

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