High school boys soccer: No. 13 Bingham upsets No. 4 Herriman in 5A playoffs

The No. 13-seeded Bingham Miners went on the road and pulled off a 2-1 upset over No. 4 Herriman, fueled by a brace from Sam Knox.

The Miners had fallen 1-0 in both of their Region 2 matchups against the Mustangs, including just a week ago in the regular season finale. Despite the losses, they felt momentum building particularly after outshooting Herriman 16-3 in the second half of that most recent contest. When they saw a third meeting on the playoff bracket, they knew they had a real shot at redemption.

Bingham immediately seized control of possession to open the game, testing Herriman early with a sharp shot in the 10th minute that forced a diving save from Mustang goalkeeper Kahler Speyer. The Miners continued to probe with half-chances in the 15th and 20th minutes—first unable to get off a clean look, then sending a soft effort from a wide angle, but the pressure was mounting.

“We knew it is hard to beat a team three times in a row, and we had nothing to lose. We had everything to gain, so we had to lay it all out on the field, that is exactly what we did,” said Knox, reflecting on the team’s mindset coming in.

Their breakthrough finally came in the 25th minute. After more than three hours of scoreless play against Herriman this season, Sam Knox buried a shot to give Bingham its first goal of the year against the Mustangs and a 1-0 lead.

“It gave us momentum to keep going. It was our first goal against them this year, and it really changed the atmosphere of the game. We used that momentum to get the second one as well,” said Briggs Smith, reflecting on the importance of the first goal.

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Bingham continued to press, nearly doubling the lead in the final seconds of the first half, but another sharp save from Speyer kept the margin at one heading into the break.

The Miners kept up the pressure early in the second half, but tensions flared as the rivalry heated up. A hard foul in the 46th minute sparked a brief confrontation and a pair of yellow cards shortly followed. In the 57th minute, Bingham found itself back on the front foot, swinging an early cross into the box. Just a foot inside the area, a Herriman defender accidentally raised his arm and made contact with the ball. The referee immediately pointed to the spot. Moments later, Knox calmly converted the penalty, giving Bingham a 2-0 lead.

“In that moment, we had a really good attack forward by Tyler Smith, putting the defenders on their heels. Cole Lowrance made a great decision to put an early ball in, and we got the penalty. It isn’t something you plan on happening, but it’s a result of executing a dynamic attack,” commented BIngham assistant coach Nic Koelliker, emphasizing the value of creating your own luck offensively through aggression.

Herriman finally found their rhythm, controlling possession and applying relentless pressure the rest of the way. With 13 minutes left, they earned a free kick just outside the top left corner of the box. The shot was a rocket, curling around the wall, but senior keeper Riley Whicker made a brilliant diving save to preserve the two-goal lead.

The Mustangs’ best opportunity came five minutes later. A beautiful free kick was whipped across the box, and a well-timed header beat the keeper — but the ball missed just wide of the post.

With six minutes to play, Herriman broke through. A high, looping ball into the box drew Whicker off his line, but with several players jostling for position, he was undercut and lost control in midair. The ball slipped from his grasp and bounced into the net, cutting the lead to one.

In the final moments, Herriman had one last chance to equalize. A frantic scramble sent the ball bouncing dangerously inside the box, but Whicker reached out from the ground and secured it, sealing the upset victory for the Miners.

Bingham will move on to play No. 5 Davis on Thursday, who defeated Farmington 1-0 in their Round of 16 matchup.