BOUNTIFUL — Sky View's soccer team was looking to avenge last year's loss to Bountiful on the same field. Turns out, after the 1-0 win in the 4A state playoffs at Millcreek Junior High, the Sky View players and coaches got a lot more than they bargained for.
Head coach Doyle Geddes earned his 100th win as the Bobcats coach, a day shy of his 47th birthday.
"This is a special win for all of us, really," Geddes said. "I invested too much in this game personally, but it feels really good."
The confident Braves were coming off a 6-1 win against Provo. Bountiful had an 8-1-1 record in Region 5 in its past 10 games to earn the region title. Sky View, one of the improbable contestants in the 4A tournament, entered with a 10-5-2 record, coming on strong since a win over Mountain Crest early on in April. That's when Geddes caught a glimpse of his squad's potential.
"We really came together in the Mountain Crest game. We played really well and I knew we had something special after that game. "Geddes said.
The first 10 minutes, Bountiful got a head start on Sky View. The Braves, behind striker Sam Berg, had quality opportunities around Sky View's goal but found difficulty finishing.
Sky View kept pace after the Braves' initial push and cleared the ball effectively. Sky View Goalkeeper Logan Hull found easy save chances due to the effective hustle Sky View had around the ball in it's own zone.
The first quality chance for either squad came midway through the first half, when a downed Bountiful goalkeeper gave Sky View an open look but no goal materialized.
The Braves couldn't capitalize on almost an identical situation in the later minutes of the first half.
In the second half, on a quick setup play from Neil Assig, striker Eric Anderson flicked the ball in for Sky View on what turned out to be the game's only goal.
From that point, the Bobcats retreated to defense, playing with two stoppers and one attacker for most of the game.
Geddes even utilized Anderson's speed on defense, while playing nearly the whole bench on a steady rotation to keep fresh legs on the field.
With 10 minutes left on the official's watch Bountiful began attacking at a frenzied pace, but Sky View had an answer for every shot.
Visibly cold after being doused with ice water after the game, Geddes was optimistic of Sky View's future in the 4A tournament.
"Everything is going so well for us," he said. "We kind of feel this our destiny this year."
In other 4A playoff games Tuesday:
SPRINGVILLE 2, ROY 1 (OT):Ben St. Clair's improbable goal in the final seconds of regulation, when the Roy goalkeeper fumbled the ball after catching it on the shot, and then Nate Teuscher's overtime goal helped the Red Devils rally past the defending champions.
WOODS CROSS 2, TIMPVIEW 1 (OT): The Wildcats continued their march through the state tournament as Jake Wood's overtime goal sent Woods Cross into its second straight final four. Eric Callejas notched the Wildcats' regulation goal; Jared Davis scored for Timpview.
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