Mustangs and Bobcats battle to 0-0 double-OT tie in regular season finale

<strong>HYRUM—</strong> There was plenty to play for Tuesday for the Sky View and Mountain Crest girl’s soccer teams, despite both squads having already secured spots in the state tournament.

With seeding up for grabs and bragging rights on the line on senior night, the Mustangs and Bobcats battled to a 0-0 double-overtime tie.

“It was a lot of fun from a spectator point of view,” SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. “There was a lot of drama for a 0-0 outcome. This was just kind of a punch-counterpunch game. It was a lot of fun that way.”

The Bobcats controlled the tempo throughout the first half and held a 7-3 advantage in shots through the first 40 minutes. Both teams saw success in getting the ball over the backline into the box, but were unable to find teammates to finish.

Sophomore Jordyn Brown had a strong performance for the Bobcats, taking three first-half shots as Sky View pushed the ball into the attacking half. In the 33rd minute, Brown took a pass just outside the 18-yard-box and made a nice turn to put a shot on frame but was denied by the Mustang goalkeeper.

Three minutes later, Brown had a pair of chances when she teamed up with senior Mckell Martin, but both shots were turned away.

“We gave it our all and that’s all that matters I guess,” Brown said. “We wanted to have fun and get a win. A tie is ok I guess, as long as we had fun and did our best.”

With Sky View having controlled the first half, Mountain Crest came out of the locker room and seized momentum with an early offensive attack that saw sophomore Chantel Crosbie slip behind the Bobcat defense for an open shot on the net.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Crosbie was whistled offside and didn’t have a chance to get a shot off.

Mountain Crest outshot Sky View 8-6 in the second half, and came within inches of the go-ahead goal on three different occasions. But luck was against the Mustangs, as they had three shots bounce off of the woodwork in the second half.

“It’s not that we didn’t have our opportunities,” MC head coach Dennis Giles said. “It was right there. We have a tendency – during warm-ups you see the kids hit the bars a lot and you sit there and go, ‘Oh this is going to be one of those games,’ and it was, but that happens.”

However, none were bigger than the final minute of overtime.

With time winding down, the Mustangs sent a ball deep into the attacking third, drawing Sky View goalkeeper Kylee Hellstern out of the net. Hellstern was unable to corral the ball, and junior Lacy Van Yperren found herself with a wide open look at the net from 19 yards.

But for the third time of the night, the ball hit the woodwork and bounced out for a goal kick with just seconds remaining.

“I can’t believe it’s the last time we’ll come out on this field and play,” senior Abby Wright said. “As a team we played really good and we’re excited to go into state.”

The tie wrapped up region play and the regular season for both teams, Sky View at 6-8-2 overall and 5-3-2 in region. Mountain Crest finished at 7-8-1 overall and 4-5-1 in region play.

Both squads will participate in the state tournament, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 9. The Bobcats will host Timpview while the Mustangs travel to Timpanogos. Both games are scheduled for 4 p.m.

<em>Photos by Curtis Ripplinger</em>

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