High school soccer: Lakers clinch Region 5 in quick fashion

WASHINGTON TERRACE — Within the span of just 60 seconds, Bonneville forward Jason Lang delivered two shots across the bow of Bountiful's boys soccer team.

The first one was huge.

The second one was killer.

Lang scored twice in the same minute early in the second half to give the top-ranked Lakers a decisive 3-0 lead over their soccer nemesis on Friday, and the end product was a 3-1 closer-than-it-sounded victory over defending 4A champ Bountiful, which clinched the outright Region 5 championship for Bonneville.

Just under 12 months ago, Bountiful beat Bonneville in last year's 4A title game in uproarious fashion. However, the Lakers have now swept Bountiful in both Region 5 meetings this spring, and Friday's win clinched an outright region championship for Bonneville for the first time since 2004.

The Lakers, who had been the state's last unbeaten team until they fell to Mountain Crest earlier this week, has been solely focused on trying to do well in the 4A playoffs, but they were nonetheless happy to win the region prize and earn the right to host two home playoff games — provided they win the first one in a week and a half.

"This is a nice trophy to pick up along the way," said coach Mike Hickman, "but our eyes are focused five games, six games down the road."

That isn't to say that Bonneville's players weren't thrilled to knock off Bountiful for the league title, however, because they most certainly were.

"We've got a rivalry with them after what happened last year when they beat us in the state championship, so we wanna crush them every time we come out," said Lang, whose two goals both came in the 49th minute.

When Bonneville and Bountiful met nearly a month earlier, it was the Lakers who played outstanding soccer en route to a 1-0 win. On this occasion, the roles were reversed as Bountiful came flying out of the gates and pieced together several dangerous moments, especially in the first half.

In the end, though, the result was the same — a Bonneville win.

Mitch Fackrell helped get that result, as his goal in the 32nd minute put the Lakers up 1-0 and took away some of Bountiful's early momentum.

And there there was Lang.

In the 49th minute, he pounced on a ball inside the box and slotted it home nicely, and mere moments after the ensuing kickoff, Bonneville won a free kick inside Bountiful's half.

Fullback Josh Guymon whipped the ball toward the far post, where Lang was stationed, and the talented forward flicked it past Bountiful's keeper and in.

"It was pretty," admitted Lang.

Star junior Mike Hodgen grabbed a consolation goal for Bountiful in the 73rd minute. Bountiful coach Lou Plank walked away feeling disappointed with the result but happy — relatively speaking — with much of the soccer that his team pieced together.

He also walked away hoping for another postseason date with the Lakers.

"It'll be sweet to see these guys in the state tournament," said Bountiful coach Lou Plank. "I hope we get far enough where we can run into them."

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