High school soccer: Bengals battle back to force tie

SANDY — On a day where Alta received its Region 4 championship trophy, Brighton managed to dim the celebratory mood a bit with an impressive comeback.

The Bengals rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and ultimately claimed a point after battling to a 3-3 draw with the Hawks on Thursday afternoon.

For Brighton, mounting a comeback against the state's No. 1 team demonstrates how much it has progressed as a team.

"It just boosts us up to know we can compete with Alta," junior forward Stephanie Verdoia said. "They're always a great team and it's always a great game coming against them. We're psyched to go into the playoffs and (want) to play our best the whole way through."

During the first half, it appeared the Bengals might take a step backward in their regular-season finale. Brighton fell behind 2-0 on a pair of second-effort goals from the Hawks.

Cadie Walch scored first off a tap-in in the 16th minute. Walch latched onto the ball after Ashley May dropped a corner kick inside the six — but not before it bounced around from player to player like a pinball. Kealia Ohai added the other in the 32nd minute when Brighton keeper Amanda Oswald failed to wrap up the ball on a save attempt. Ohai got to the ball first and quickly headed it past Oswald along the left post.

Stephanie Verdoia broke the ice for the Bengals with a penalty kick five minutes later. But Alta appeared to put the finishing touch on another win when Kim Thurman crossed from the left flank to Michele Murphy and she blasted it home to make it 3-1 in the 45th minute.

That third goal instead set the stage for Brighton's rally

Alexis Felis angled a corner kick into McKenna Kimball in the 55th minute. Kimball headed the ball right at Alta keeper Tashia Long and she deflected it away. Verdoia latched onto the deflected ball and sent another header at Long. This one made it and cut the lead to 3-2.

Verdoia set up the final goal in the 60th minute, working the ball down the right side and crossing it to Katie Tominaga as she entered the 6-yard box. Tominaga slowed the ball as it passed her and Maddie Adams slotted it inside the left post for the equalizer.

"What it comes down to is our girls fought hard and our girls played with intensity the full game," Bengals coach Tennille Vance said. "Going into 20 minutes of overtime against an outstanding team, we gave it everything we had, and it helps build our confidence."

A few controversial calls overshadowed how the remainder of the game played out — including one that took away a potential game-winning goal.