High school girls soccer: Lone Peak, Davis each shut out opponents in 6A semifinal to set up championship clash

Here’s a recap of the 6A semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium on Tuesday, with 2023 6A champion and No. 1 seed Lone Peak and 2022 6A champion and No. 3 Davis both shutting out opponents and advancing to the state championship game.
This year’s Lone Peak squad has been nothing short of dominant. It boasts a 19-0 record and the Knights have not trailed by a single goal in a game this season. However, in Tuesdays 6A semifinal game against Syracuse it looked like that streak might be over as Syracuse volleyed a ball over Knight’s keeper Eliza Collings.
Syracuse was about to lead the semifinal 1-0, but Lone Peak’s Ada Villarreal sprinted in and kicked the ball out just before crossing the goal line. Lone Peak used the momentum from the save to steamroll the Titans 3-0.
“I told the girls just right after, if that goal goes in, it’s a different game, different story,” said Lone Peak head coach Shantel Jolley. “That would be a scenario that we haven’t seen this year, which is being down a goal. So, it would have been intriguing to see how we would have responded, but I’m glad we didn’t have to to learn that lesson.”
It’s impossible to say how the game might’ve changed if Villarreal didn’t save the shot, but the goalline save gave Lone Peak the energy it needed to launch an offensive retaliation.
“I think it gave me energy, the bench got hyped, and it just lifted us all up,” said Villarreal. “Once one person gets energy, it’s able to spread like wildfire. I think that really boosted us forward and gave us momentum.”
Just before halftime in the 38th minute, Lone Peak’s Ivy Harding took control after a Syracuse goal kick and nailed a shot from roughly 30-yards out to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Knight’s nerves calmed after the opening goal, and after Lone Peak’s offensive pressure couldn’t be contained. It quickly scored again right after halftime in the 45th minute on a goal from Brooke Hendricks, assisted by Kate Fuller.
“I think the nerves got to us a little bit today,” said Jolley. “I think for us it’s been proven if we can get one, it can calm us down and we get into our game a little bit better. It’s just that reassurance of, ‘OK, this is a ride. This is our game.’”
Despite the two goal lead, Syracuse had a few chances to get back in the game. The best chance outside of the save from Villarreal was a penalty kick awarded to the Titans. Abby Affleck took the shot and hit the top crossbar which allowed Lone Peak to secure its third straight shut out.
The Knights accentuated its win with one last goal in the 79th minute from Lone Peak’s leading scorer, Samantha Sellers. The 3-0 semifinal win gives Lone Peak a chance to win its back-to-back 6A state title.
It took only six minutes for Davis to take complete control of Tuesday’s semifinal match as Davis dominated Mountain Ridge 5-0. The game didn’t stay 0-0 for more than 50 seconds, as the Dart’s Cadence Packer scored in the first minute for the 1-0 lead.
Before Mountain Ridge could take a breath and recuperate, Simone Packer launched a goal on a free kick in the sixth minute for a dominant 2-0 lead and left the Sentinels completely stunned.
The nightmarish first half didn’t end there for Mountain Ridge, as Simone Packer scored yet again in the 15th minute on a cross into the box for the 3-0 lead. The quick deficit was the largest by far for this year’s Sentinels team. Mountain Ridge lost only one game in the regular season, a 2-1 overtime loss to Copper Hills in early September.
The second half continued the steamroll for Davis as Simone Packer got her third goal in the 47th minute to complete Tuesday’s hat trick. “It’s a great feeling,” Packer said. “Our team played so well together. I’m very happy with the outcome today.”
Kate Willard scored for a 5-0 lead by the 53rd minute and Davis head coach Dillon Richens pulled the starters as the Darts cruised to the shutout win.
“(Mountain Ridge) beat us in preseason,” Richens said. “We were aware that they are good and that they can hurt you. The game played out in a way that I think was advantageous for us. Obviously scoring in the first minute helps. Ultimately I think we deserved the result.”
Davis’ win sets up an exciting battle between itself as the 2022 6A champion, and the 2023 6A champion Lone Peak. Friday’s title game will be the first time the Darts and Sentinels have played since August 2015.
“Lone Peak’s an incredible program,” Richens said. “You just look at their results, and they’ve put on a phenomenal season. They’re undefeated, they’ve scored like 100 something goals, but we’re excited for the challenge. We think if we bring what we brought today, I think chances are are good for us.”