High school boys soccer: Barker and Staheli Shine as Salem Hills overpowers Woods Cross in 5A quarterfinals
A strong end to the first half and a dominant second half pushed No. 3 Salem Hill past No. 22 Woods Cross 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the 5A state tournament.
For the better part of the first half, both teams created plenty of chances but weren’t able to get the ball in the back of the net.
“Woods Cross came out with a good gameplan. It was a gritty start on their part. Eventually our boys started how to open things up and we were able to get a good outcome and I am very proud of the boys,” said Salem Hills head coach Jerry Johnson.
The intensity ramped up in the final 10 minutes in the half as the chances continued to come.
Salem Hills thought it had gotten on the scoreboard first when Brooks Barker took a shot from a tight and near impossible angle, shot the ball just over the Woods Cross keeper and in the net. Unfortunately, Barker was called for an offsides.
Upset with the call, Barker wasted no time and just a mere 30 seconds later, got in behind the defense, finding himself one on one with the keeper and flicking the ball into the goal for the 1-0 lead.
The lead wouldn’t last long when just a minute later, Salem Hills committed a foul inside the penalty area, resulting in a Woods Cross penalty kick.
Zach Despain stepped up to the spot for Woods Cross and converted the penalty to tie the game up at 1.
Salem Hills got the lead back in the 38th minute. Ben Staheli got on a loose ball in front of goal and passed it back to Jackson Williams, who scored with his left foot and curled it into the side netting.
The second goal for Salem Hills gave it momentum heading into the halftime break, momentum that would only pick up as the game went on.
“It really was a matter of figuring out where our opportunities were going to be with their low block. Once that opened up for us I think the boys got a little taste of what they could create and they definitely picked it up in the second half, a good adjustment on the boys part,” added Johnson.
It was all Salem Hills in the second half. After getting an assist in the first half, Staheli scored a goal of his own early in the second half, scoring off of a rebound from the Woods Cross keeper and doubling Salem Hills lead.
Hungry for more, Barker got his second goal of the night a few minutes later, sprinting down the right side with the ball, getting past the Woods Cross defender and blasting the ball past the goalie to help put the game out of reach.
With the victory, Salem Hills moves on to play Roy in the 5A semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium on Monday.
