High school soccer: Favorite Davis blanks upset-minded Granger in 5A semifinals

WOODS CROSS — Mighty Davis may have been a big favorite when it stepped on the field for its 5A semifinal match against underdog Granger, but the Darts knew they absolutely needed to play well to make the clock strike midnight on the Cinderella Lancers.

In the final analysis, saying that Davis played well may be an understatement.

The Darts didn't finish their scoring chances tremendously well, but against a team that had stunned the rest of the state to advance to the semis, virtually every other aspect of their game was flawless from start to finish.

Jake Mcrae put Davis ahead in only the 3rd minute, defender Dallin Hart added a huge second goal in the 28th minute and Abinadi Samayoa killed the game off with a clutch third goal in the 45th minute as No. 3 Davis beat Granger 3-0 to cruise into Thursday's championship game at Rio Tinto Stadium.

"I told the kids yesterday, 'I'm pretty sure that no team has ever made it to the finals without winning a semifinal game,' and so we wanted to focus on this game," said Davis coach Souli Phongsavath. "I know Rio Tinto is a great place to think about, but we didn't want to think about it until we actually took care of business.

"And the kids did that, and I can't say enough about them and their effort."

With Granger out of the way, Davis' players can all turn their attention to Rio Tinto Stadium and a date with Fremont Thursday night at 7 in what will be an all-Region 1 championship game.

From the time the referee blew his whistle to start Tuesday's semifinal against Granger until the time he blew his whistle to end it, Davis' players played well, knowing they couldn't let the Lancers, who had stunned top-ranked Alta in the quarterfinals last week, get going.

Mcrae helped make sure they never did.

Talented midfielder John Taylor sent a free kick toward the box in the 3rd minute, and Mcrae majestically rose and nodded the ball beyond Granger's goalie and just inside the right-hand post.

From there, Davis played well and carried the majority of the play before Hart scored from point-blank range in the 28th minute and then Samayoa essentially settled matters with his team's third goal five minutes into the second half.