4A boys soccer semifinals: Crimson Cliffs edges Desert Hills, Ridgeline defeats Dixie

Written by Jeff Richards
May 10, 2022
Crimson Cliffs vs. Desert Hills, 4A boys soccer semifinals, Juan Diego High School, Draper, Utah, May 10, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Anna Stringham, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — In the 4A state boys soccer semifinals on Tuesday, the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs edged the Desert Hills Thunder in a penalty kick shootout after two scoreless overtimes to advance to the title game, while Ridgeline defeated the Dixie Flyers 4-1 in the afternoon match.

Both games took place at Juan Diego Catholic High School’s field in Draper. The winners will meet Thursday at 11 a.m. for the 4A state championship game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

Following are recaps of the two semifinals:

No. 1 Crimson Cliffs 0, No. 4 Desert Hills 0 (Crimson Cliffs wins shootout 4-3)

Region 10 rivals Crimson Cliffs and Desert Hills battled for 100 scoreless minutes, with each squad getting a number of quality shots on goal and the other team getting the same number of stops.

Crimson Cliffs vs. Desert Hills, 4A boys soccer semifinals, Juan Diego High School, Draper, Utah, May 10, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Anna Stringham, St. George News

After both 40-minute halves ended without a score, two 10-minute overtime periods were played, with the teams alternating sides of the field.

Still deadlocked in a scoreless tie, the teams went to a penalty kick shootout on the north side of the field.

The teams took turns taking penalty kicks, with Desert Hills going first. The first six players all found the back of the net with their attempts. However, Desert Hills’ fourth shot hit the post at the top right corner of the net and ricocheted away. That brought up Crimson Cliffs junior Scotty Mckittrick, who deftly converted his attempt to give the Mustangs a 4-3 advantage.

The Thunder’s fifth and final PK shot then hit the right post, thereby sending the Crimson players and coaches onto the field in celebration.

Before Mckittrick’s winning shot, his three teammates who also converted their penalty kicks for the Mustangs were, in order, Peter Butterfield, Ryan Woolley and Jamison Enfield.

Both teams’ goalkeepers were credited with complete-game shutouts: Dade MacDonald of Crimson Cliffs and Jack Heidaman of Desert Hills.

Tuesday’s nailbiter of a showdown came as little surprise to followers of either team. The Mustangs and Thunder had split their regular season series, with Desert Hills winning at home 2-1 on March 18 and Crimson Cliffs winning 2-0 at home on April 5.

With the semifinal win, Crimson Cliffs improves to 15-2 on the season with one game remaining tomorrow morning.

“Ridgeline looked very good,” Crimson Cliffs coach Isaac Klingonsmith told St. George News after watching the RiverHawks defeat Dixie in the other semifinal match of the day. 

“Two of their first three goals were off Dixie mistakes in the back,” Klingonsmith added. “Our defense is stout. We feel confident. It will be a tight game tomorrow.”

No. 3 Ridgeline 4, No. 2 Dixie 1

The Ridgeline RiverHawks earned their chance to defend their 4A state title with a semifinal win over Dixie on Tuesday afternoon.

The RiverHawks scored twice in each half while limiting the Dixie Flyers to a single goal in the second half.

Ryan Johnson scored two of Ridgeline’s goals. Dixie senior Jorge Quintero made the Flyers’ lone score.

Ridgeline improved to 14-3 on the season, while Dixie’s season ended with an overall record of 12-4.

Defending state champion Ridgeline was the tournament’s 11th seed last year when the RiverHawks won the school’s first state title in boys soccer.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, 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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