High school boys soccer: Davis holds on for chippy win over Region 1 rival Farmington

You can usually assume any matchup between Region 1 rivals Davis and Farmington is going to have extra emotions involved. Wednesday’s game between the two schools was no different.

Both Davis and Farmington took turns at making an offensive push, but in the end, it was Davis who defended home and walked away with the 3-2 win.

However, after the first half, it really looked like Davis was going to run away with the game.

The Darts wasted no time and earned a lead with a goal in the 13th minute at the hands of Cooper Harwood. Harwood worked it up the left side and finished it in the final third for the go-ahead goal.

It was emblematic of what Davis did for much of the first half. The Darts worked the ball around, and they kept scoring.

They broke through again in the 28th minute on a goal from Tyler Roe, and then a free kick gave Davis a third goal just before halftime.

With two minutes left in the half, Harwood crossed it in to Kasen Smith. Smith then redirected the ball into the net and finished off a first half of dreams for Davis.

“We’ve been preparing for this the whole season,” Smith said. “This is a big rivalry game, so we just prepared like we did every other game, and we’re lucky to come up on top today.”

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Unfortunately for the Darts, the second half couldn’t have been much different.

Despite the 3-0 goal deficit, Farmington still created some chances in the first half. The Phoenix have been a lethal team this season, which showed in the final 40 minutes.

It took only four minutes after halftime for Farmington to find the back of the net on a goal scored by Kade Mackintosh.

Davis’ 3-1 lead was still significant, but all of a sudden, life was breathed into the Phoenix.

The possession went back and forth while Farmington was desperate to score again. And as most of the matchups between Davis and Farmington are, it got chippy.

“With Farmington, I haven’t played a game where it’s not been chippy,” Smith said. “So, we just got to keep our heads a little better.”

Throughout Wednesday’s game, a total of four yellow cards were assessed, and Davis started to lose focus.

With only 12 minutes left in the game, Farmington’s Owen Packard got the ball to Dax Patrick. Patrick volleyed the ball just out of reach over the Davis keeper and into the net.

All of a sudden, a comeback was brewing.

The final 10 minutes were frantic, and both teams created strong chances in the final thirds. However, they came up short each time.

Time management was paramount for Davis, and it worked out in their favor as they held on for the 3-2 win.

“We told them at halftime, ‘You got to manage the game, especially when you’re up by three,’” said Davis assistant coach Talon Meyer. “So coming into the last five minutes, we squandered that lead. But being able to manage the last five minutes, that’s really where you become winners. Winners and losers are made in those last five, and we were able to become the winners just by being able to manage the game.”

Davis took control of Region 1 with the win and is now the only team in the region without a loss.