In a game that could be a preview of the 5A boys state soccer championship, Bingham handed Brighton its first loss of the season at home in a quick 2-0 decision. The victory, however, was not earned as easily as the score might suggest.
Brighton was looking for a sweep of the Miners this season, winning the earlier matchup 1-0 in South Jordan. Bingham had not lost a game since, and has since locked up the second spot in Region 2.
But before focusing on the state tournament, the Miners wanted to clear the hurdle Brighton presented.
Bingham goalkeeper A.J. Morris got a shutout and two first-half goals carried the Miners to victory.
From the initial kickoff, the tempo of the match picked up where it left off in South Jordan.
The normally stingy Brighton defense, led by Ryan Miller and goalkeeper Ashton Zubal, looked shaky at points and confident at others. It was the shaky parts that would haunt the Bengals early.
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Bingham quickly attacked and had Brighton on its toes when a miscue in the box gave Bingham a scoring opportunity. Midfielder Corey Ackerman pounced quickly on the open net and Bingham jumped ahead after only five minutes.
Brighton kept the offensive pressure on, green-lighting scoring opportunities and playing in a liberal manner on defense.
Bingham head coach Lynn Demill's respect for Brighton's ability to score didn't waver and his offense and defense stayed modest after the first goal.
"Both teams are really good," Demill said. "We know that both teams can score and we were grateful for the opportunities we saw."
Bingham kept things physical through the first half and in the 17th minute, another window to score opened wide.
On a flip toss by Corey Ackerman, the Miners pursued the goal and off a Bengal defender's foot the ball found the back of the net.
From the second goal on to the final whistle, Bingham focused on retaining the lead.
Brighton attacked in the final minutes of the second half. Several good attempts by Bengal forward Dallas Stephenson came and went, but the difficulty Brighton had finishing in the goal in the first meeting plagued it in the second.
When asked after the game about whether it was a good thing to lose one before the tournament Brighton head coach Russ Boyer was confident in his squad: "I don't really ascribe to that theory. We play hard all the time, the result of this game wasn't really that important."
In other prep soccer games Friday:
REGION 2
RIVERTON 1, JORDAN 0:Patrick Doty broke the scoreless tie in the 49th minute as Riverton edged Jordan.Adam Richardson earned the shutout in the Riverton goal.
WEST JORDAN 3, COPPER HILLS 1:Marco Rizzuto, Eduardo Romero, and Sean Rogers each notched a goal for West Jordan in the easy win.
ALTA 7, HILLCREST 2: Alta scored six first-half goals and added one in the second to cruise to the win over Hillcrest. Cade Carter scored two goals while Tate Matta, Ryan Adams, Blake Tillotson, Garrett Losee, and Jaron Sheppard each added a goal.
REGION 3
KEARNS 4, GRANGER 0: Kevin Young scored twice and Kyle Help and Kevin Hortin each added one goal each in the shutout. Kearns goalie Christian Gonzales earned the shutout.
SKYLINE 3, TAYLORSVILLE 2:Justin Braun scored two second-half goals to help Skyline end the season at 9-1 in region play. Ben Vroman scored in the first half, which was tied at 1-1. Jared Trussell and Reynold Campbell scored for Taylorsville.
COTTONWOOD 4, HUNTER 1:Eric Shupe scored twice as Cottonwood improves to 8-2 in Region 3.
REGION 4
MOUNTAIN CREST 2, BOX ELDER 1: Jake Bassett and Jordan Leishman each scored fro Mountain Crest as Brian Hadfield assisted both. Box Elder's lone goal was an own goal by Mountain Crest.
ROY 4, LOGAN 0: Zach Zimmerman, Collin Larsen, Tyler Britt, and Jess Patterson each scored for Roy to complete Region play. Dan Williams and Casey Warren split time in goal for the shutout.
BONNEVILLE 1, SKY VIEW 0: Midway through the second half, Bonneville's Jake Barker scored to give Bonneville the win and remain unbeaten on region play. Scott Klema earned the shutout behind a strong defensive performance.
REGION 5
EAST 1, WOODS CROSS 0 (2OT): In the second overtime, East's Jared Sorroche scored on the golden goal to give the Leopards their ninth win of the season. Despite playing without five of its starters due to illness and injury Woods Cross was able to force overtime. East's John Ellis preserved the shutout.
HIGHLAND 8, MURRAY 0: Highland won its fourth straight game behind a hat trick by Ramin Amin. Miguel Rios scored two goals while Amadeo Villegas, Peter Awan, and Amadou Doumbia each scored for the Rams. Hogir Ali earned the shutout in goal.
REG. 17 TOUR
LAYTON CHRISTIAN 6, SALT LAKE LUTHERAN 0: Layton Christian routed SL Lutheran scoring three goals each in each half. Matt Gall, Ben Purdy, Adam Jones, Jerrell Stewart, Donte Smith, and Gustavo Ruiz each scored for the Eagles.
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE 3, WEST RIDGE ACADEMY 3 (2OT) (C. HERITAGE WINS SHOOTOUT 4-1): After a slow start, West Ridge came back to score three second-half goals and tie the game. After both overtime periods Christian Heritage won in the shootout. West Ridge's Parker England earned the hat trick, while Shaun Sandman, David Roberts, and Justin Watts scored one each for Christian Heritage.
E-mail: acole@desnews.com