It’s rare for Spanish Fork to find itself in mid-September and still be alive for a region-title push. The Dons usually land toward the bottom of their region’s standings.
Spanish Fork head girls’ soccer coach Harry Roberts-Hunt fully acknowledged that Tuesday’s game with Springville was usually one that his team historically lost. The Dons needed to win Tuesday’s game in order to have a fighting chance at the Region 7 title — and previously, they struggled to play up to the pressure.
Not only have the Dons historically struggled in region play, they also haven’t beaten the Red Devils in their last eight matchups. The last time Spanish Fork beat Springville was in a 1-0 win in 2021.
But when faced with Tuesday’s big game on the road, Spanish Fork rose to to the occasion with two goals in the first half to lead them to a 2-1 win over Springville.
“In the history of Spanish Fork, these are the games that the program loses when they get this close,” Roberts-Hunt said. “So, the culture, that winning mentality and the will to fight is really changing.”
It was almost the complete opposite of the two schools’ game on Sept. 2. In that game, the Red Devils shut out Spanish Fork in a clean 2-0 win. It was just one of two in-region losses Spanish Fork has suffered this season.
“After a strong start to preseason and non-region play, it was probably the first time the girls haven’t looked like themselves,” said Roberts-Hunt. “Leaving the field after that, knowing we weren’t even close to our standards and our effort that we normally bring, I think it really put fuel to the fire for today. Just for the fact that they wanted to prove themselves and not walk off the field feeling the same way.”
It didn’t take long for the Spanish Fork offense to start flowing. In just the seventh minute, Dons freshman Reese Harding found senior Kylie Harris for the goal. Harding has been a significant contributor for Spanish Fork this year, totaling five goals and five assists so far.
Springville had a few chances to score the equalizer, but Dons keeper Ava Levanger had multiple saves to keep the one-goal lead alive. Spanish Fork defender Cassie Larsen then bookended the first half with a goal in the 38th minute. It was Larsen’s first goal of the season.
“Today, I felt like we were much more prepared,” Larsen said. “We knew this was going to be a big game, we know how they play, so I think the preparation really is what brought us into this game.”
The two-goal first half ended up being imperative as Springville played with a vengeance out of halftime.
The Red Devils looked night-and-day from the first half and commanded much more possession of the ball. Spanish Fork could no longer play relaxed after Springville finally scored in the 50th minute.
Springville’s Megan Warren played Adalie Dodd ahead and Dodd placed the ball in the back of the net. The goal allowed the Red Devils to place the pressure back onto Spanish Fork, who now had to defend just a one-goal lead.
Things got especially tense after Springville missed out on an equalizer as a shot bounced off the top crossbar with only nine minutes left in the half. The energy on the field was hectic as the Red Devils were desperate to tie the game.
“I just kept clearing the ball out because like I was like, ‘We cannot let them score and come back,’ because we’ve had a history of letting teams come back and score on us,” Larsen said. “Tonight I was just not having it. We knew we were not going to let that happen again.”
Tuesday’s win ties Springville and Spanish Fork for second place in Region 7 as both teams hold a 6-2 record. The win certainly increased Spanish Fork’s chances at least a share of the region title, but it isn’t entirely in the Dons’ hands.
Timpview currently leads Region 7 with an 8-0 record — and they’ve already beaten Spanish Fork this year. For the Dons to have a chance, Spanish Fork will likely need to beat Timpview and the Thunderbirds will need to lose another game.
Roberts-Hunt believes his team has the capability of capitalizing if the chance arises.
“The talk at halftime was, ‘You’ve proven for 40 minutes that we’re the best team in the region. We just have to continue doing that for the second half, and we’re going to have to continue doing that for the rest of the season,’” he said. “There’s a shot there that we can take it all. So, the mentality is a winning mentality now, and the girls know how good they are, and they keep proving it.”