Girl's soccer: 5A and 4A first round predictions

Looking at this year’s playoff brackets, I feel like I’ve stumbled into some high school soccer version of Groundhog Day. The higher seeds in many regions are virtually unchanged from this time a year ago.

Who will take that first step past the first round? I have my ideas and I’m happy to share them with the loyal readers of this blog.

Here are my predictions for Tuesday’s first round games.

5A:

Brighton at Lehi: Probably the best first-round game of the day. Lehi looked like a lock to claim sole possession of the Region 4 title at one point, until a pair of late season losses. The Pioneers own an excellent defense and one of the state’s best keepers in Briar Sands. Brighton presents a tough challenge. The Bengals are the only team to beat Alta so far and can be explosive on offense. It will go down to the wire, but I can’t see Lehi dropping one at home.

Prediction: Lehi 2, Brighton 1 (OT)

Hunter at Davis: This is a mismatch in all phases. The Darts have too much firepower on offense and too much strength on defense for me to see an upset here. I expect Katie Taylor to have a big game on offense and Jaime Wilkinson to have an easy day in the net.

Prediction: Davis 5, Hunter 0

Viewmont at Riverton: The Vikings are a hard team to read. They can win big games as evidenced by an upset win over Davis. But they also gave us clunkers like that 5-0 loss to Northridge. Which Vikings team will show up? Probably not one that can stop Shelby Ostler. Riverton didn’t do well outside its region, but the Silverwolves will earn some redemption here.

Prediction: Riverton 3, Viewmont 1

Lone Peak at Skyline: The Eagles are a surprise team at second seed after getting a sweep over Brighton in the regular season. But Skyline looks to be something of an overachiever. The Knights, on the other hand, started slow but came on late. Both teams have excellent keepers in Anna Cassell and Ravin King. It will be close, but the higher seed goes down here.

Prediction: Lone Peak 1, Skyline 0

West Jordan at Fremont: The Silver Wolves are a nice Cinderella story, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Fremont has several talented underclassmen leading the offense. The defense isn’t too shabby either. West Jordan has a losing record and is a lower seed from a weak region. Enough said.

Prediction: Fremont 2, West Jordan 1

Jordan at Timpanogos: I like what I’ve seen from Jordan at times this season. The Beetdiggers can get out there and score with a lot of teams. That being said, I don’t think they can keep up with the T-Wolves when they have such an awesome one-two scoring punch in Gel Dickson and Marissa Nimmer at their disposal.

Prediction: Timpanogos 4, Jordan 2

Weber at Alta: Several comments on this website have indicated that Weber will upset Alta. While I like optimism, let’s be realistic. No one beats the Hawks on their home field. Kealia Ohai and company can probably name whatever final score they want in this one.

Prediction: Alta 7, Weber 0

Layton at Bingham: I like how strong Layton has come on at the end of the season. The Lancers appeared to be headed for the cellar until winning seven of their last nine games to earn the third seed in Region 1. I’m not sold on Bingham. The Miners did well in Region 3, but they are young and inexperienced at many positions. Layton can steal a victory here.

Prediction: Layton 3, Bingham 2

4A:

Bonneville at Orem: The defending champion Tigers draw out a tough fourth seed. The Lakers have come on a little bit toward the end of the season and beat Mountain Crest in a play-in game to return to the playoffs. It should be a good matchup. If it were at Bonneville, an upset might be in the cards. On Orem’s home field? Probably not.

Prediction: Orem 2, Bonneville 0

Provo at East: The Leopards have gone on a tear since starting 1-1-1, with an unbeaten streak now at 13 games. East has allowed only four goals in that stretch. The Bulldogs could struggle to score anything. Beating the Leopards is probably too much to ask.

Prediction: East 3, Provo 0

Timpview at Snow Canyon: Is anyone else annoyed at Region 9 as much as I am? If it were set up like the other regions, Snow Canyon would have finished as a no. 2 seed or lower and Dixie would be in this spot. Still, the Warriors are much better than a Timpview squad that is at least a couple of notches below the other four playoff teams from Region 7.

Prediction: Snow Canyon 2, Timpview 1

Highland at Woods Cross: One of the best first round games in 4A. Highland is definitely dangerous as a third seed. The Rams shutout six straight opponents at one point this season. But the Wildcats are no slouch. Woods Cross finished second in what I think was a much tougher region. They’ve built up a solid core around Nikki Fernandes and Rylei North. I see the Wildcats prevailing in a nailbiter.

Prediction: Woods Cross 1, Highland 0

Mountain View at Pine View: The Bruins are my darkhouse candidate to reach the semifinals. Mountain View looked strong over the last half of Region 7 play ‘ especially while earning a blowout win over Springville. Pine View had a pair of nice victories to get playoff eligible. I don’t think the Panthers make it out of St. George.

Prediction: Mountain View 4, Pine View 1

Olympus at Bountiful: The Titans gave us one of the best early-round upsets in 2007 upon dispatching the Braves in the first round. I don’t see history repeating itself. Why? Two words: Monica Okapal. The senior sat out almost all of last year with a knee injury. Okapal, Bountiful’s leading scorer, is healthy this time around and it will make all the difference.

Prediction: Bountiful 4, Olympus 2.

West at Springville: The Panthers have enjoyed a breakout year of sorts in getting back to the playoffs. Their reward is a nasty road game against a Red Devils team that can score on practically anybody. Springville’s talented tandem of Alexis Eaton and Natalie Young will likely eat West’s defense alive by halftime.

Prediction: Springville 6, West 0

Sky View at Murray: Every year the Spartans seem to follow the same formula: Solid regular season, followed by a first-round playoff loss. Drawing a tough Sky View team doesn’t seem like the best way to break such a jinx. If Stephanie Palmer has a standout game, Murray could advance. But I feel like the Bobcats are peaking at the right time after beating Woods Cross last week.

Prediction: Sky View 3, Murray 2 (OT)

There you have it. Agree or disagree? Who are your picks to advance past the first round? Let me know.