Rising from the ashes

One of the exciting parts of region play in girl’s soccer is seeing some teams come back to life after dropping off the map during a rough preseason. Here are a few such resurgent teams who have caught my attention:

Sky View ‘ Veteran coach Doyle Geddes had good reasons for anticipating a strong season. The Bobcats had a deep junior class (13 players) and several talented seniors to anchor this year’s varsity team. Still, a 1-4 start against a brutal slate of opponents ‘ including top-five teams Alta and Bountiful ‘ was not a huge surprise. But Sky View has since put together a four game unbeaten streak with improved defensive play. The Bobcats have yielded only goal since allowing the Braves to cash in four times in their region opener. Offense remains a big question mark, though. Sky View has scored more than once in a game only one time this season.

Bingham ‘ The Miners are one of the hottest teams in Region 3 at the moment and are winners of four straight since posting a 0-4-1 start against the likes of Brighton Alta, Lehi, Timpanogos and Jordan in the preseason. One thing helping turn the Miners around is an offensive resurgence led by youthful talent like Carissa Christensen and returning contributors like Liz Christensen. The Miners are now averaging 4.5 goals per game against region opponents after scoring only three total goals in the preseason.

Riverton ‘ The Silverwolves endured plenty of low moments during their a five game losing streak ‘ like giving up 11 second-half goals in a loss to Alta ‘ but, like region 3 rival Bingham, they finally seem to be on the upswing. Riverton has come to life on offense in particular. The team has scored 23 goals in its last three wins after producing only two in four losses prior to that point. And it’s more than just Shelby Ostler getting into the act. Eight different players scored on Copper Hills, while seven players scored on Kearns.

Snow Canyon ‘ Dixie earned much of the hype in Region 9 based on the Flyers past success and returning talent. But it is the Warriors who are currently in the driver’s seat with a 5-0 record in region play. What makes it more remarkable is Snow Canyon lost all four of its preseason matches while being outscored 14-0. Since then, the Warriors have put it together on both sides of the ball ‘ especially on defense. They shutout three straight opponents and have given up only one goal total since beating Desert Hills 3-2 in their region opener.

Olympus ‘ The Titans made plenty of waves last season with their first-round upset of defending champion Bountiful. But Olympus also lost 13 seniors coming into this year and that inexperience showed in a 0-4 start. But the Titans have picked up some steam in recent weeks. They are 2-0-2 in their last four. Along the way, Olympus upended Murray, tied defending Region 6 champ East and took a tough Highland team to overtime before finally succumbing.

Final thought: Which of these teams can stay hot and become a factor not only in their respective regions, but in the state playoffs?