Mountain Ridge is a young soccer team with only three senior starters, but all season coach Jeremy King has been impressed by the maturity of his players. That was on display again on Tuesday afternoon in a key Region 3 game against Riverton.
Twice Mountain Ridge went down a goal, but each time it stayed composed and equalized, and then late in the match Kya Newton bagged her 17th goal of the season as the Sentinels rallied for the impressive 3-2 victory.
The win gives Mountain Ridge a two-game cushion over Riverton and Bingham in the Region 3 standings with just four regular season games remaining.
“I was really happy with the maturity and the poise that they showed,” said King. “For being such a young team, the maturity and the poise of this team is impressive.”
Last season Mountain Ridge lost to Riverton three times, including once in the 6A quarterfinals. Reversing that trend has been a satisfying feeling for this year’s team, but King wouldn’t be surprised to see the teams meet in the playoffs again.
Newton scored the winning goal straight in off a corner kick with about five minutes remaining on a bending ball that bounced in off the keeper’s hands. Newton has now scored in 11 of 12 games this season for Mountain Ridge.
Her goal capped a strong comeback that secured Mountain Ridge its fourth one-goal win of the season.
“Very possession oriented. That helps us dictate how the game flows,” said King. “Just the poise on the ball, they never panicked. One thing we talk about all season long is being even-keeled emotionally.”
Elle Anderson opened the scoring for Riverton early in the match, but Jocelyn Wright headed in a cross from Myka Peck before halftime to level the score at 1-1.
Early in the second half, Anderson again gave Riverton the lead on a quality finish, but Peck equalized shortly after on a long-range bomb that dropped in over the keeper’s head.
Before the final whistle, Newton secured the winning goal to help Mountain Ridge improve to 10-2 on the season and 6-0 in region play.