In a battle of undefeated teams, Farmington found the back of the net twice in the first half before suffering its first loss of the season to Pleasant Grove.
“A year ago, if you asked me where our offensive power would come from, we probably would have only had one or two guys. So far this season, we've had multiple players with multiple answers. “It wasn't just one player. We had multiple players stepping up every game,” Farmington head coach Aaron Solberg said of his team's hard-fought 2-1 win. Told.
Pleasant Grove had quite a few scoring chances, but it was Farmington that was the more clinical and dangerous team throughout the contest.
Farmington took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when Colson Hellquist put the ball into the box and Jackson Chaney headed it in. Cheney headed the ball directly to the Pleasant Grove goalie, but the goalie was unable to secure the ball. Chaney pounced on the loose ball and fired a shot into the back of the goal, giving the visitors the lead.
Farmington doubled its lead 10 minutes later. Ben Wright got on the scoresheet by curling a shot from 15 yards that just missed the Pleasant Grove goalie. The shot landed in the corner of the net.
“I don’t think Ben was even 15 seconds into the game when he scored the dagger for the second goal. He just buried that chance and even his strong legs didn’t allow it. I've been preaching to use both feet, and if you hit a good shot, there's a good chance it'll go in,” Solberg said.
The intensity and physicality increased in the second half, forcing the referees to make difficult decisions, but neither side was too happy about it.
“This was a very physical game, just as we expected. My message to the players after the game was to just put your head down and let your play do the talking.” When you don't get a call inside, you have to be together and you have to have that chemistry. Having that brotherly bond can stand the test of time a little bit,” Solberg said. Told.
Pleasant Grove increased the pressure in the second half and was able to get one point back when a hopeful ball was sent into the box right in front of Farmington's goalie. Pleasant Grove was able to pounce on the loose ball and tap it past the keeper, adding some drama late in the game.
Farmington's players stayed calm for the most part, coming away with the win and remaining undefeated heading into district play.
Coach Solberg said playing against a tough team like Pleasant Grove was the perfect test for his team as they prepare to play incredibly tough opponents in the remaining games.
“We can't be complacent. We have to keep the fire, the hunger and the desire for more. We got off to a great start in the preseason, but now we're in the Region with a clean slate. We're moving on. We're going to be playing some strong teams in the area. I think three of the state champions out of the last four years have come out of our area, so “It's going to be a battle and this was a good test for us,” he said.
