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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Being a favorite can put a team in a dangerous position.
Brighton learned that lesson the hard way a year ago after losing a playoff on its home field to an underdog Viewmont team. The Bengals saw elements of a similar upset in place with Bingham in its 5A quarterfinal game on Thursday afternoon.
This time, however, Brighton avoided a quarterfinal letdown. Behind a pair of goals from senior forward Stephanie Verdoia and a stifling defense, the Bengals pulled away for a 3-0 victory.
A semifinal game against Davis now awaits Brighton (15-0-3) on Tuesday afternoon at Juan Diego Catholic High School.
After falling to the Vikings a year ago, the Bengals wanted to do everything in their power to avoid a similar fate this season. Making it past another tough quarterfinal opponent offered the perfect medicine for those bad memories.
"It's just finally good to get credit for working hard as a team," Verdoia said. "I know we deserve to get this far, so it's good to finally be there."
Verdoia did plenty on her end to get the ball rolling. The senior broke the ice for the Brighton offense in the 28th minute with an impressive goal off a 1-vs.-1 opportunity with Bingham goalkeeper Jess Brooks.
She cut around defender Stacia Carroll toward the right post to draw Brooks off her line. When Brooks closed in on the challenge, Verdoia blasted the ball right past her and buried it in the middle of the net to make it 1-0.
The Miners (11-5-1) had chances to tie it up in both halves. Liz Christensen sent a free kick over a three-man defensive wall in the 37th minute and her shot smacked into the crossbar and bounced down into a crowd of players. Bingham got a second crack at the net before Natalie Stoven wrapped up the ball for a big save.
Christensen nearly came through again in the 42nd minute when she booted a shot across the goalmouth from the right post.
The Miners used aggressive play to make things tough on the Bengals when the two teams initially met in the preseason and found a way to force a draw by game's end. Brighton made sure it was the aggressor on both sides of the ball this time around.
"Our defense played a solid game," Bengals coach Tenille Vance said. "Winning the balls out of the air. Bodying them up. Not letting them turn. They played great."
An aggressive mentality helped Brighton pull away from Bingham as the second half wore on. The Bengals made it 2-0 in the 57th minute when freshman midfielder Sydney Myers volleyed a corner kick sent in by Alexis Felis and hooked it right under the crossbar.
Verdoia added the final goal in the 75th minute when she converted a penalty kick..
The Bengals will face a team in the Darts known for their explosiveness on offense. But Brighton is confident its defense can withstand any challenge because it has done so all season long.
DAVIS 3, WEST 0: Dani MacKay recorded the shutout as the Darts led 2-0 at halftime.
VIEWMONT 1, WEBER 0: Ali Forsberg provided the lone score four minutes into the game as the Vikings advanced on the road.
SKYLINE 1, FREMONT 1, 2OT (Skyline won shootout 5-4):Kaitlin Parkin scored her first goal of the season in the final seconds of the second half to force overtime. In the shootout the Eagles made all five while Anna Cassellmade one save.
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