High school soccer: Alta overcomes obstacles yet again in win

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Over and over again this spring, the Alta Hawks have found ways — ways to overcome injuries, ways to overcome deficits, ways to overcome simply not playing well.

Down a goal and being played off the park by their arch-rival in the biggest game of the season, they did it again.

Handed a lifeline just before halftime in the form of a controversial penalty kick, Alta took full advantage of the opportunity and didn't look back.

Star striker Tim Fitt converted the ensuing spot kick to equalize, Fitt finished brilliantly to score again in the 55th minute and the resurgent Hawks played much better in the second half and held on late en route to a gritty 2-1 come-from-behind win over Brighton Wednesday afternoon.

"They play with some heart, and I'm real pleased with them," said Alta coach Lee Mitchell.

"They keep surprising me. There are times when they are kind of lackadaisical, and then are times when they step up."

That's precisely what the Hawks were in the first half — lackadaisical — and precisely what they did in the second half — step up.

With the win, Alta clinched the outright title in battle-tested Region 2.

It's the first time since 2006 that the Hawks have won a region championship and the first time since 1997 that they've won an outright region championship.

"Region's been [one of our goals] the whole time," said Fitt. "It's been a few years since we've outright won the region. We really wanted to do that this year and make all the alumni and this (soccer) family proud."

Wednesday's biggest moment arrived just before halftime, and unfortunately the center referee found himself in the thick of the action.

Up until that point, Brighton — with fantastic playmaker Austin Nate pulling the strings in midfield — had bossed the game, and it seemed that Jared Wright's 7th-minute strike would give the Bengals a deserved lead going into the break.

But in the dying seconds of the first half, everything changed.

Alta ace midfielder Cory Tanner swung a free kick in from about 45 yards toward the 18-yard box, and just a split second after the ball left his foot, the referee blew his whistle and awarded a penalty for what he said was a hold inside the box.