High school soccer: Hawks, Bengals play to a draw

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A familiar scenario unfolded between Alta and Brighton in the first installment of their annual Region 4 grudge match on Tuesday afternoon.

For 100 minutes, each team fought to gain even an inch of ground against their biggest rival. And, just like in their region finale last season, neither the Hawks nor the Bengals could gain the upper hand.

In the end, both teams claimed a point in a 2-2 draw. It is the second consecutive game in the series where neither Alta (3-0-1) nor Brighton (2-0-3) could claim the bragging rights that come with a victory.

Walking off the field with nothing resolved after two overtimes left both teams feeling equally unsatisfied.

"We're not going to go into overtime again, that's for sure," Hawks forward Kim Thurman said of her team's upcoming second meeting with Brighton. "We're just going to get it done in the game."

Thurman had a hand in helping Alta claim a point.

After the Hawks fell behind 2-1 in the first half, the senior striker converted a penalty kick in the 39th minute. Thurman calmly drilled the ball inside the left post even as Brighton goalkeeper guessed correctly and dove to her left to gather in the shot before it reached the line.

No tension or nervousness overcame Thurman in that moment. She played as if she had an empty net in front of her.

"I knew I wasn't going to miss," Thurman said. "There was a lot of people yelling and screaming, which was kind of annoying. But we've taken (penalty kicks) at practice, and I've done them a million times. I knew it was in."

That penalty kick took the luster off a nice rally by the Bengals earlier in the half.

Alta took an initial 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when Courtney Nance volleyed it from the right flank to the opposite post and put the ball over Sloven's head and into the corner of the net.

Brighton answered quickly when Sass Kellogg evened the score in the 16th minute. Kellogg unleashed a beautiful header at the top of the area off a corner kick and sent the ball straight down the middle to make it 1-1.

The Bengals went ahead 2-1 in the 20th minute when Stephanie Verdoia tapped the ball into the right corner of the net. Verdoia set the play in motion when she crossed to Lindsey Castleton, then Castleton flicked it back ahead to Verdoia as she cut into the six-yard box.

Those two quick goals made all the difference for Brighton.