Alta topples No. 1 Brighton

SANDY — The Brighton-Alta boys soccer rivalry has a lot to live up to. Through the years, the two titans of the state's largest classification have produced a host of memorable moments and a number of thrilling matches.

Add their latest encounter, which Alta won 3-2, to that list. And few would complain if you put it somewhere near the top.

Brighton and Alta, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Class 5A, renewed their fantastic rivalry Tuesday afternoon, and the emotionally-charged contest featured, among other things, a handful of well-worked goals, a monstrous crowd, a controversial red card, and several outstanding individual performances.

Both teams also showed plenty of determination, and in the end, it was the Hawks who earned the three points.

"That's what I'm so happy about — we played with heart," said Alta coach Lee Mitchell. "You've got to be good and you've got be lucky, and today, we were both."

It was the Hawks' first victory over their arch rival since 2001.

Alta senior Blake Tillotson led his squad with a fantastic effort. The central midfielder won ball after ball for the Hawks, helped shut down Brighton star Ryan Ulanch, and scored Alta's first two goals.

Both of Tillotson's strikes came off assists from striker Colby Swensen. Brighton fought back each time to equalize the scoreline, but Swensen finally put them away in the 72nd minute.

After collecting a ball from a Brighton attack, Alta goalie Aaron Weymann quickly boomed the ball down field. It eventually broke to forward Garrett Losee, who played a sweet through ball to Swensen. He beat Brighton goalie Jaddon Rogers, who was rushing off his line, and clipped the ball into the net.

Swensen, a senior transfer from Jordan, enjoyed his first taste of the Brighton-Alta grudge match.

"It definitely turned out to be an intense rivalry," he said.

That intensity showed through when Brighton coach Russ Boyer was red-carded in the 77th minute. Boyer was given a straight red card for entering the playing field, even though the rule book says a yellow card should be awarded for such an offense.

Tillotson's first goal came just 70 seconds into the match. Less than a minute later, though, he was shown a yellow card for an innocuous challenge. However, he managed to keep his cool and continued to anchor Alta's midfield without getting a second yellow.