ST. GEORGE — Region 9 will have no say in deciding the 4A girls state soccer championship.
In quarterfinal action Thursday afternoon, No. 8 seed Crimson Cliffs lost 2-nil to the top overall seed in the tournament, Green Canyon.
Later, No. 11 Snow Canyon gave No. 3 Park City all it wanted before succumbing 2-1.
The 4A semifinals on Oct. 16 will feature the top four seeds in the tournament bracket.
No. 1 Green Canyon will take on No. 4 Ridgeline in a Region 11 semifinal. And No. 2 Stansbury will meet No. 3 Park City in a Region 10 semifinal. The winners of those two contests will kick for the 4A state title on Oct. 20 at America First Field in Sandy.
Green Canyon 2, Crimson Cliffs 0
The Wolves had the best record in the state for most of the season (17-1).
Crimson (13-5) came into the match with all the momentum after a huge 3-2 double-overtime playoff win over two-time defending champion Mountain Crest.
“We played a tough Green Canyon team with some talented players,” Crimson Cliffs head coach Kat Esplin texted to St. George News Friday night.
“Our girls were very disciplined throughout the first half,” she said, “and stopped their (Wolves) dynamic off-the-ball movement and passing game from doing any damage.
“We lost a little bit of steam in the second half with some injuries and tired legs, and just couldn’t hold them off,” Esplin added.
Capriel Winder and Austin Miller scored the Wolves goals in the second half.
“We had a couple really good chances to score and just couldn’t quite get it in,” Esplin wrote.
“We had a really successful season being region co-champs and I wouldn’t trade these girls for anyone,” she added. “We were a family and our senior class is going to be missed.”
Park City 2, Snow Canyon 1
Region 9’s hottest postseason team sported a 10-game winning streak going into Park City.
Snow Canyon coach Connor Brown texted to St. George News Friday night and said that Park City was a tough place to go play a game.
“Usually when we talk about home field advantage you think less travel and more fans,” Brown wrote. “Not a 40 degree difference in temperature and a completely different playing surface.”
Despite the tough conditions, he said, the Warriors represented themselves well.
“We dominated possession for large spells of the game, but we couldn’t find the goals we needed,” he added.
The Miners (16-2) and the Warriors (13-6) battled to a scoreless tie in the first half, but Snow Canyon let one get away, failing to convert on an early penalty kick.
Hailey Olsen and Lauren Kindt tallied quickly in the second half, but Snow Canyon kept fighting and Ashlee Harris scored to cut the lead to one.
But the Warriors could not find the equalizer and the Miners moved on.
“Park City was really well organized defensively,” Brown wrote. “And clinical offensively, which is the right combination to have in big games.”
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