File photo, Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
HURRICANE – Cedar and Hurricane are both pushing to make the playoffs, but the Redmen came out stronger against the Tigers to tie it up for fifth place in Region 9 with a 7-0 victory.
Cedar’s Abe Brower led the team with a hat trick (three goals), bringing his total goals for the season to seven, while Jake Rehkop secured the shutout.
Cedar head coach Scott Kamachi said there’s still a chance to make the playoffs and the remaining games are few.
“We executed offensively, and we did real well defensively,” he said. “We’ve got three games left to push for the playoffs.”
Hurricane head coach Jeff Fry didn’t have much to say about the match.
“I don’t have a whole lot of comments. It’s just really going to take us to play as a team to do anything, and that’s not what we’re doing,” Fry said.
Along with Browers’ hat trick, JD Beacham scored his team-leading eighth goal for the season. Rem Roche, Ethan Fletcher and Kanyon Komarek each scored their first goals of the season.
“Rem doesn’t get a lot of playing time, but when he got in tonight he played really well. He took advantage of the playing time and got that goal,” Kamachi said. “It was good to see someone like that get a goal for us.”
Cedar’s keeper, Rehkop, has been playing through a broken finger since March 24.
“He toughed it out and finished the game for us,” Kamachi said. “He had a pretty good game. They had a couple good chances early on. They put some pressure on us before we scored a couple more.”
Both teams now have four points, two points behind fourth place (and a playoff seed). Pine View currently holds that position and still has games against the top three seeds, Snow Canyon, at Dixie and at Desert Hills, and also has a match against Cedar.
Cedar has matches against Dixie, at Pine View and at Desert Hills.
“We’ll continue to play defensively, possess the ball and make sure we get some goals and take the pressure off us as we go forward,” Kamachi said.
Hurricane has a brutal schedule left as the Tigers still have to play the top three seeds with games at Dixie, at Desert Hills and at home against Snow Canyon.
“We’ll see if we can pull together as a team,” Fry said. “It takes a team to win.”
Cedar will host Dixie Tuesday to continue its playoff push in its final home game at 4 p.m.
“Against Dixie, we’re just hoping to keep up that offensive possession,” Kamachi said. “We played them down there and we were ahead 1-0, and they scored a couple goals in the last five minutes. We want to be up more than one goal and just finish off the game against them.”
Hurricane will play at Desert Hills Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
“We’ll just work hard on our defense,” Fry said. “We’ll work hard on our offensive scheme.”
Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's JD Beachum (7) and Hurricane's Kolby Rasmussen (17), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Abe Brower (13) and Hurricane's Kaige Steglich (1), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's JD Beachum (7) and Hurricane's Kolby Rasmussen (17), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Dylan Avendinar (18) and Hurricane's Daniel Brubaker (22), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Jesus Tapia (14) and Hurricane's Daniel Brubaker (22), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Rurik Neuman (12) and Hurricane's Max Gutierrez (21), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Max Gutierrez (21), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Abe Brower (13), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Jef Bjarnson (10), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Kaige Steglich (1), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Kaige Steglich (1), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Daniel Brubaker (22), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Kolby Rasmussen (17), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Cedar's Rurik Neuman (12), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Tate Langston (3), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Terry Reynoso (23), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Hurricane's Kaige Steglich (1), Hurricane vs. Cedar, Soccer, Hurricane, Utah, Apr. 14, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Abel started writing at Dixie State University for the Dixie Sun News in 2013, where he also became the sports editor for a semester before moving to Cedar City. He has also written for The Spectrum & Daily News, University Journal at Southern Utah University and now St. George News. He is currently attending Southern Utah University and pursuing a degree in pharmacy. Journalism has become a passion for him as he pursues his studies in another field. Jordan married Kaylee, a former Pine View and current SUU cross-country and track runner, in 2014.