Girls soccer playoffs: Canyon View advances in 3A; Parowan, Beaver make 2A quarterfinals

Canyon View vs. Summit Academy, 3A girls soccer state playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 13, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Two high school girls soccer teams in Iron County advanced in their respective state playoff brackets on Wednesday. First, the Canyon View Falcons shut out Summit Academy in the 3A bracket. A few hours later, the Parowan Rams defeated Gunnison Valley in similar fashion to advance in the 2A classification’s bracket.

Both contests were played on Southern Utah University’s football field, as the soccer pitches at both Canyon View and Parowan High were still covered with snow from Tuesday’s snowstorm.

Canyon View 7, Summit Academy 0

Led by freshman Bethanee Vargas’s hat trick, the No. 2 seeded Canyon View Falcons shut out the 15th-seeded Summit Academy Bears in Wednesday’s second-round game of the 3A playoffs in Cedar City.

“The weather yesterday made it interesting,” Canyon View coach Steven Newman said. “It limited our practice, and we were unsure when and where we would play. I was concerned our very young team would be nervous.”

Canyon View vs. Summit Academy, 3A girls soccer state playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 13, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Newman said his concerns were alleviated when his players came out and played well right from the start. The Falcons managed to take a comfortable 3-0 lead by halftime.

One major challenge for both teams was keeping the ball on the field of play, as the wet and slick artificial turf proved to have much less resistance than natural grass.

Newman said his players missed a few offensive opportunities throughout the contest.

“We have room for improvement on our offensive attack,” Newman added. “Fortunately, we have a very solid and experienced defense and a goalie who can compensate for our offense.”

Goalkeeper Niky Johnson went the distance and recorded the shutout for Canyon View, which improved to 15-3 overall on the season.

The Falcons will next play in the 3A quarterfinals Saturday afternoon, when they’ll face No. 7 seed Judge Memorial. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at Canyon View High School.

Click here to see the full 3A playoff bracket.

Parowan 8, Gunnison Valley 0

Despite leading just 1-0 at halftime, the No. 3 seed Parowan Rams unleashed a second-half offensive onslaught to defeat the 14th-seeded Gunnison Bulldogs 8-0 at Southern Utah University.

L-R: Twin sisters Brynlee and Maycee Andersen after they collectively scored five of Parowan’s goals in an 8-0 playoff victory over Gunnison Valley, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 13, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Parowan High School Athletics, St. George News / Cedar City News

“It was an awesome opportunity to play on SUU’s turf field,” Parowan coach Becca Evans said. “It was great practice, since the ball moves so differently on turf.”

Evans said Gunnison’s heavy defense limited the Rams’ scoring opportunities in the first half.

“We had to change our strategy at halftime, which worked out well in our favor,” she added.

Brynlee Andersen led the way for Parowan with four goals, while her twin sister, Maycee, added a goal and an assist. Karlee Wood also chipped in two goals for the Rams.

The victory improves Parowan’s season record to 13-3. The Rams went undefeated in region play, winning all nine of their regular-season contests in the 2A South.

Next up, Parowan will face the sixth-seeded Millard Eagles on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Parowan High School.

Should the Rams make it past Millard, they’ll advance to the 2A semifinals, which are scheduled for Oct. 21 at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper.

Evans said she hopes her players will get to play at least one more game on artificial turf now that they’ve shown they can win on it.

Parowan has been knocked out of the 2A state semifinals in each of the past four years, including last year’s 4-0 loss to eventual champion Rowland Hall.

“The semifinal game is on turf, and every year that hurts us,” Evans said. “Hopefully, this year it’s different.”

Click here to see the full 2A playoff bracket.

Beaver 3, Draper American Preparatory Academy 1

Other than Parowan and Millard, Beaver is the only other Southern Utah team still alive in the 2A girls soccer playoffs. The No. 8 seed Beavers defeated ninth-seeded Draper APA on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 3-1.

Alina Lurth scored two goals for the Beavers, while teammate Heidi Harris added one. Abby Cox assisted on all three scores.

The Beavers next advance to face the top-seeded and defending 2A state champion Rowland Hall Winged Lions. That game is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City.

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