The Farmington Phoenix defeated the Syracuse Titans 5-1 on Friday night for their most dominant win of the season, showing why they are Region 1 champions and having the best overall record in 6A. I proved that.
Phoenix's only loss this year was a road loss in a penalty shootout to the Leighton Lancers.
Since the loss in late March, Farmington has won nine straight games and is now 9-1 in the region, two games behind the second-place Fremont Silverwolves.
“This group is pretty tight-knit,” Farmington head coach Aaron Solberg said. “We are good friends, especially with our seniors, and have been working hard on connections and continuity.
“We live on our brotherhood, we take care of our teammates, we put the team first. They play free, they trust each other, and tonight is probably the best we've played all year. It was the best we've ever done. The players are peaking at the right time.”
Farmington took control of the game early in the first half and never looked back. Phoenix's Jackson Chaney scored the first goal, punching a ball that bounced off the Syracuse keeper.
Chaney was followed by Josh Foster, who scored two goals before the end of the half to give Farmington a 3-0 lead.
“It was really fun playing with the guys and we all wanted to win and it really came together this year,” Foster said. “I think everyone really wants to win. Sometimes we have a bad day in practice, but at the end of the day, it shows on the field. We work hard for each other and we work hard for each other. We support each other.”
Syracuse scored early in the second half, but Farmington's Jake Peterson scored a goal of his own to take a 4-1 lead. Then, with 15 minutes left, Foster crossed the ball to Mack Jensen for Farmington's fifth and final goal of the regular season.
“We've been working on getting guys to watch open runs and wake up and watch the next guy,” Solberg said. “You don't panic even in a down game. They know, 'Okay, we're going to get in there and try to find that connection.' Things are coming together very well for us. ”
The win was a confidence booster for Farmington, which lost to Syracuse in the 6A quarterfinals last year before winning the 6A title.
“It feels good. I have a lot of respect for (Syracuse coach) Josh (Kearamakia). They have a good team and the first game against them was pretty close,” Solberg said. “Playing at home on senior night, we knew they were going to have a blast tonight.”
The win tied Farmington's best regular season since opening in 2018. Still, Phoenix is looking forward to the 6A state tournament.
“This is the best I've personally felt heading into the tournament,” Solberg said. “We're not trying to be cocky. We're coming in with confidence. We're confident in who we are, what we want to do and what kind of players we have. We know that and it feels good. Now we have to prove it, but right now they feel like they're on cloud nine.”