Lehi Sports
Falcon boys soccer makes strong start
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge boys soccer team went on the road for their entire first week of action. They dropped their season opener but then earned three consecutive victories with an injury-depleted roster to post a 3-1 mark after playing four matches in five days.
Mar. 3: Riverton 3, Skyridge 1
The Silverwolves scored first and held a 1-0 advantage at the half. The Falcons boarded a goal in the second period when senior defender Boston Long sent the ball to senior defender Luke Jensen for the score, but the hosts got two more goals in the second half as well to wrap up the win.
Mar. 5: Skyridge 1, Dixie 1 (SO 5-3)
The Falcons then embarked on a southern road swing, playing their first match against Dixie. Skyridge got on the board quickly when senior midfielder Keith Gardner found senior forward Jacob Steele in the top left corner of the penalty box and he booted the ball diagonally into the right side of the net in the fourth minute.
The Flyers got the equalizer in the 32nd minute. After that the teams battled to the end of regulation and through two overtime periods without either side being able to hit the target again, bringing on a shootout to settle the result.
Junior defender Griffin Wall, Long, junior midfielder Jack Webster, senior defender Brady Wangsgard and Jensen all converted penalty kicks to lift Skyridge to victory. Junior goalkeeper Bryce Toole had three saves in the contest.
“All in all, it was a successful tournament down in St. George,” said Coach Jerry Preisendorf. “We were able to bounce back off a loss to Riverton two days before we headed down. The first game we looked okay at times, but the boys were still trying to figure things out with each other.”
Mar. 6: Skyridge 3, Skyline 2
The Falcons fell behind quickly as the Eagles scored twice in the first eight minutes for a 2-0 advantage. Skyridge cut the deficit in half four minutes later when junior midfielder Dallas Olander scored from the top of the goal box after a give from sophomore midfielder Brody Alleman.
The Falcons still trailed at the break but got the equalizer from point-blank range just minutes into the second period when sophomore forward Javier Rodriguez Schaer hit junior midfielder Alex Rollins for the score.
The teams dueled even for most of the rest of the contest, but in the 77th minute, Wangsgard scored off a free kick from the top of the penalty box into the back right corner of the net, and Skyridge held on down the stretch to get the victory.
Toole and junior Marcus Kanell shared the duties between the pipes, with each of them collecting one save. Wall had an outstanding game on defense.
“The next day versus Skyline we showed up to the field and I had for starters out and had to rely on some underclassmen to get it done,” the coach said. “And then, 10 minutes into the game, I lost another forward to injury.
“Dallas Olander and Javier Rodriguez as well as Alex Rollins really stepped it up,” Preisendorf said. “They took the new call-up seriously and really played well. Lincoln Webster was another one that really did a good job.
“We were able to come back and win this game with a lot of energy even though we got out-possessed pretty badly,” the coach said.
Mar. 7: Skyridge 3, Farmington 1
The Falcons were in control for the duration against the Phoenix, building their three-goal lead before Farmington finally found the target with 20 minutes left in the contest.
Olander got the scoring started with a straight-on shot in the 11th minute after receiving the ball from Toole. The tally remained 1-0 at the break, but Skyridge added another goal early in the second half when Wangsgard converted a free kick from a difficult angle on the far right side.
Ten minutes later, Wangsgard relayed the ball to Steele, who sent it on to Alleman well inside the penalty box and he kicked it in for the final Falcon score. Toole went the distance in goal and tallied three saves. Wall had another strong defensive game.
“On the last day versus Farmington we again had a lot of starters out and a lot of players stepped up again to get us that victory,” Preisendorf said. “Bryce Toole did well as the only goal they got was on a penalty kick.
“Now the goal is to get players healthy and have them earn their spot back from those young guys who have really taken advantage of their new-found positions on the team,” the coach said. “Hopefully we can make a good run going forward.”
The Falcons host Mountain Crest on Wednesday (Mar. 11) at 7 p.m. On Friday (Mar. 13) the team travels to Layton Christian Academy for a 3 p.m. kickoff.
