SANDY— It may be another year, but the results are the same. Once again it appears Alta will be in the hunt for a state championship after its 4-2 victory over Northridge Wednesday afternoon.
Alta and Northridge are both expected to be ranked teams for this year's soccer season. Alta has earned the reputation of being one of the top programs year in and year out. Even with the graduation of many of last year's state championship team, the Hawks seem to simply go down the roster and plug in another quality player.
Northridge has been a work in progress. The team has gone from Region 1 doormat to Region 1 favorite. The team returned most of a quarter-final squad from a year ago, so expectations are high. With two contenders, the game had much to live up to. It did not disappoint.
"I thought those were two quality teams out there," said Alta coach Lee Mitchell. "Those are two teams I think will be tough in the end."
If the teams will be tough by the end of the year, they could work on the beginning of a game. Alta scored in the first minute of play when Stephanie Lowery collected a long through-ball and drove in on the keeper. She calmly hit the ball to the lower, back post and the Hawks had an early lead. The excitement, however, was very short-lived.
Northridge evened the score less than a minute later. Niki Fernandes took the ball down the right wing and cut into the box. She used her speed to outrun the defender and hit a ball to the back post for the score.
The teams calmed down after the opening fireworks and played some quality soccer. Northridge even appeared to be creating the more dangerous scoring chances. If not for some spectacular saves from Alta goalkeeper Amanda Condie, Northridge easily could have had three or four more goals.
"After those opening two minutes, I thought Amanda stepped it up and made some good saves," Mitchell said. "Northridge put some pretty good pressure on us, but we hung in there."
Alta again took the lead early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Mary Staples gathered a misplayed header at the right corner of the penalty box and fired a shot that landed perfectly in the back corner of the net. But Northridge would again retaliate. Once more it was Fernandes that used her speed to get into the box and score. Even in the loss, Northridge can take solace in knowing it has a skilled forward for the year in Fernandes. The freshman was one of the most dangerous players on the field, and has now scored six goals in the opening two games.
The game remained close until the 75th minute when Corie Walch scored what would be the game-winner. She took a cross from the right side and fired home a shot to put Alta up for good. Hailee DeYoung added an insurance goal just one minute later.
"We're very young and very inexperienced," Mitchell said. "But with that being said, I was fairly pleased at how our team played. I think we can continue to progress and we'll be okay."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com