Red Devils pass test with comeback win

SPRINGVILLE — The Springville boys soccer team put to rest any doubts about the legitimacy of its undefeated record with a resounding 3-1 win over Timpview on Thursday.

Although the Red Devils trailed for more than an hour, they thoroughly controlled play for long stretches. They won the game when they found a late finishing touch, and the T-Birds lost their composure and couldn't hang on to the lead.

Springville is now 7-0 on the season.

"This was a really tough test for us," said Red Devils' coach Rick Bertelsen. "We know that we're good and we know that when we play with effort and some intensity we really believe that we can play with anybody."

For most of the game it looked like Timpview was on its way to winning. The T-Birds took an early lead in the first half, and had some near misses that would have put them two goals up. Although Springville missed plenty of chances of its own, it wasn't until the last 10 minutes when the tide finally turned.

"We were feeling pretty confident," said Joe Shinners, who scored the winning goal for Springville. "We figured we'd come and play like we wanted to win and we'd come out on top if we really wanted it."

Josh Reidhead knocked in a low cross from Bryson Pope in the 71st minute that tied the game at 1-1. Three minutes later the Red Devils stormed in front when Shinners stole the ball on the back line and scored from 20 yards out.

Although there was still plenty of time on the clock — including more than seven minutes of injury time — the T-Birds never recovered and ended up conceding another goal on a penalty kick before the game was over.

"We knew we could get shots against them, we just had to get something in" said Bertelsen. "Once we got something in we played a little looser. They played a little tighter, and that made the next two goals happen."

The T-Birds scored their goal on a 10th minute penalty kick by Karson Payton, but were haunted by their inability to finish the game off.

Any chance of a comeback ended in stoppage time when Andrew Dearden was pulled down in the box and Pope scored the penalty kick. The Timpview defender who committed the foul was subsequently shown a red card for abusive language toward the referee.

"It was frustrating," said Timpview coach Jeremy Stevenson. "It knocks us down and helps us refocus."