Davis 4, Viewmont 1CENTERVILLE -- Bryce Stevenson is starting to find his goal-scoring touch and just in the nick of time. The Davis senior tallied two goals in leading the Darts to a 4-1 win over Viewmont Tuesday, a victory that earned the Darts the Region 1 title.
"It was really important, and not so much for the region championship, but for momentum," said Stevenson, who has scored two goals in each of the last four games.
Davis owned a half-game lead over Viewmont heading into the game, and a Viking win would've guaranteed them no worse than a tie for the region title. It took Stevenson all of about 30 seconds to ensure that didn't happen as he drilled a free kick past Viewmont's human wall and into the net.
"That first goal was big because then they started pressing harder to get the equalizer," said Davis coach Brett Jepson.
On any other field, pressing forward might entail stringing a few passes together, but not on Viewmont's short field. One long ball and suddenly play has switched from end to end.
Davis' strategy, however, has always been to work the ball upfield with short, crisp passes through the midfield. When the Darts didn't get sucked into the boom-ball game, they controlled pace. It paid off in the 28th minute as Seth Alexander headed in a pass from Brigham Jepson.
Falling behind 2-0 really forced Viewmont to push forward.
"When a team gets a couple of goals, the other team presses up and leaves themselves exposed in the back," said Jepson.
At times Viewmont pushed as many as five players forward in an attempt to solve Davis' defense.
It nearly paid off eight minutes into the second half, but Davis keeper Justin Taylor kicked away Clark Willey's shot.
Stevenson capitalized on the Vikings' aggressive approach in the 60th minute as he beat the keeper on a breakaway giving Davis a 3-0 lead.
"He's just a real team leader on the field," said Jepson about Stevenson. "The way he plays is unselfish. That's what makes him so good, he gives the ball up."
Viewmont made things slightly interesting in the 70th minute as sophomore Dustin Nye headed the ball just over Taylor's head making the score 3-1. It didn't matter in the long run, particularly when Paul Timothy scored in the final minute.
"They outplayed us. Everytime you play Davis they play 80 minutes," said Viewmont coach Shawn Johnson. "You can't afford to have lapses against them, and they took advantage when we did."
Viewmont still has a make-up game against Skyline next Tuesday, and a win would secure them second place in Region 1.
Davis will head into next week's 5A state tournament as the region's top seed, and Jepson likes the direction his team is heading. "Anyone can be beat. Once you get into the playoffs, it's all desire," said Jepson.
It wouldn't hurt either if Stevenson kept scoring twice a game.
You can reach James Edward by e-mail at jedward@desnews.com