Rivals to meet in Class 3A semis

When the 3A state soccer tournament resumes this afternoon at Juan Diego High School, fans will be treated to two outstanding semifinal matchups.

The Utah High School Activities Association creates the pairings for its tournaments in each sport before the school year even begins, but the UHSAA couldn't have asked for better matchups in this year's semifinals.

Archrivals Ogden and Ben Lomond, which are separated by just three miles, kick off the semifinal round at 4 p.m. They will be followed at 6 p.m. by Park City and Waterford, the last two 3A champions.

Ogden, the No. 1 seed from Region 11 and ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, notched a huge upset win over No. 1-ranked Juan Diego to advance into the semifinals. Still, postseason success isn't new to the Tigers, who have reached the semifinal round two years in a row.

On the other hand, hardly anyone expected to see rival Ben Lomond advance past the early stages of the tournament. The Scots were the No. 4 seed from Region 11 and needed a play-in game against Cedar to advance into the tournament. They defeated Lehi and Snow Canyon en route to Juan Diego High.

Ben Lomond hasn't beaten its archrival in four seasons, and coach Don Greenfield said that the school has been buzzing about the semifinal game.

"If we could beat them that would be like a state-championship win for us," Greenfield said. "We want to win state too, but it's a big-time rivalry."

Ben Lomond lost to Ogden by one goal in both league games this season, including a 3-2 overtime defeat.

"I've always thought one of the hardest things to do is beat a team three times in a row," said Ogden coach Sterling Castle. Especially, he added, when it's against your rival.

Since losing 4-1 against rival Wasatch on the final day of the regular season, No. 2-ranked Park City has responded by outscoring its opponents 10-1 in the opening two rounds of the playoffs.

"I think it was a wake-up call for us that we have to come prepared," coach Mike Guetschow said of the Wasatch defeat.

The defending champions have now advanced into the semifinals 13 straight times, and they were up 5-0 against Bear River after 45 minutes in the quarterfinals.

One of the biggest keys for Park City against Waterford will be its ability to contain star forward Stephen Phillips. The senior striker has spearheaded the Ravens' attack and has 22 goals.

UPDATES: Can't make it to Juan Diego High School? Go online to deseretnews.com/preps to receive live match commentary and scoring updates from both semifinal games.

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E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com