After dropping their opening two games to Highland and Springville, the Bingham Miners have been on a tear in region play. They’ve now won seven consecutive games, including a perfect 6-0 Region 2 record.
Bingham plays a methodical style of soccer, working it up the field with purposeful give-and-go passes, and a sophomore leads the way.
Ada Smith had a solid freshman season. She was an early varsity contributor with four goals and four assists. However, some natural growth and hard work over the summer have turned her into one of 6A’s top scorers.
She’s scored 14 goals so far this season, the second most in all of 6A. She delivered again on Tuesday with a hat trick to beat the Silverwolves 5-0.
“There’s a maturity to her game,” said Bingham head coach Josh Maxfield. “The growth from a freshman to sophomore year is a lot, and Ada took a huge leap, and a lot of that’s credit to her. She puts in the work off the field, and we just try to get her the ball in places where she can be dangerous.”
Smith definitely put herself in the right place in the opening minutes. The Bingham offense played up early, and Smith scored off an errant pass from Riverton’s defense in just the third minute.
The first-half avalanche from Bingham continued from there, and it wasn’t just Smith. Just 10 minutes later, a flip throw-in from Kenzlie Binks got the ball into the box, and Maylee Hall finished it for a 2-0 lead.
Then Smith became a distributor and played a ball ahead for Brizzy Cottle, who scored again for the Miners.
What started as an important Region 2 game quickly turned into Bingham dominance with a 3-0 halftime lead.
“I think the score flatters us quite a bit because they have a phenomenal team and coach,” Maxfield said. “They’ve got some very talented players on their team. The ball bounced our way a couple of times, and we took advantage of it, but our region’s tough.”
Despite the three-goal disadvantage, Riverton started playing better in the second half. It held onto the ball but narrowly missed shots on some breakaways.
Meanwhile, Smith scored twice with under 10 minutes left to put the Silverwolves away. The first she earned by working it down the left side, and the second on a header off a corner kick.
Tuesday’s hat trick was the second of the year for Smith.
“We’re really focusing on our goals and not really thinking about the outcome,” Smith said. “We’re focused on working hard and being in the right areas to finish.
“I think definitely a big part of it is scanning and knowing where my team is. Even when I don’t have the ball, I do it so that when I get the ball, I’m already three steps ahead, and I already know where I need to play the ball and where my team’s at so we can get opportunities.”
The Miners have been dominant at home. Not only have they been undefeated, but the defense also hasn’t even allowed a goal on their own turf.
Bingham holds the top spot in Region 2, but that will be challenged on Thursday against Herriman. The Mustangs currently sit just under the Miners with just one loss.
If Bingham can hold on through the rest of the regular season, it would be its first region championship since 2019.