DRAPER — The California Storm are the defending WPSL champions for good reason. They've mastered the art of punishing opponents' mistakes, and the Utah Spiders were the unlucky recipients Saturday night.
The Storm scored twice in the opening 17 minutes, and that was all they needed in trouncing the Spiders 4-0.
"At this semi-pro level of soccer, you cannot have (17) bad minutes," said Utah coach Joanna Barney. "We did, and that cost us the game."
The win improved California's record to 5-0-2, while the Spiders have a lot of catching up to do with 1-2-1 mark.
For whatever reason, the Spiders began the game flat, a mistake you just can't make against a quality opponent. Just four minutes into the game, Maureen Whitney tapped home free kick pass from Lindsay Massengale to give California the early lead.
In the 17th minute, Kim Patrick caught Utah's defenders napping again as she easily scored to put the Storm ahead 2-0.
"The first two goals killed us," said Barney.
If nothing else, the two goals finally woke the Spiders from their slumber. The remainder of the first half was played on a level field, but the Spiders still had nothing to show for it.
Former BYU All-American Jen Viernes nearly shaved Utah's deficit in half, but her breakaway shot just before halftime was saved by the fingertips of California's keeper.
Despite their sluggish start, the Spiders were still very much in the game. In fact, early in the second half, Utah was the squad dictating the game's pace. The problem was, they were spraying their shots every direction but on goal.
"If you don't finish your chances at this level, you're in trouble," said Barney.
After California weathered Utah's brief flurry of chances, they continued to pour it on.
Former University of Utah striker Katie Tate converted on a 65th minute penalty kick as the Storm went ahead 3-0. Ten minutes later, an unmarked Stacie Alberico headed in a cross from Massengale to wrap up the scoring.
"At the highest level, you'll occasionally experience games like this where the floodgates open, and you can't stop what happens on the field," said Barney, who has doubt her team will recover.
"I'd had to be our next opponent," she said.
That next opponent happens to be the San Francisco Nighthawks, who the Spiders host next Friday at 7:30 p.m. That game is part of another doubleheader with the Utah Salt Ratz, who play at 5:30 p.m.
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com