Video: John Spranza with spectacular goal
See the Pepperell senior bicycle in one of his two goals in a 4-2 win over Trion.
One common trait is shared by many top Utah boys soccer teams. These teams feature stifling defenses that keep opponent after opponent off the scoreboard.
Eight teams remain undefeated or unbeaten at this point in the season. Five of those squads have allowed three total goals or less in all of their games this season.
Murray and
Juan Diego Catholic (Draper) have the most impressive goals allowed averages among the unbeaten clubs.
Murray (4-0-2) opened the season with four consecutive shutouts and has scored an average of 3.75 goals per game in its four wins. Goalkeepers Mitch Clawson and Javier Vierya have combined to get four clean sheets for the Spartans – who are one of four unbeaten teams in Class 4A. Murray has allowed just two goals this season and leads Class 4A with a 0.33 goals against average per contest.
Murray has been keeping its head in the game on defense this season.
Photo by Steve Carnahan
, another Class 4A team riding an unbeaten start, has been equally tough on the pitch. The Lakers (4-0-2) have yielded just three goals in six games. Tyson Anderson and Austin Rives have a combined three shutouts for Bonneville so far.
Class 3A power Juan Diego (7-0) has yielded just two goals this season, an average of 0.29 goals per contest. Soaring Eagle goalkeeper
Martin Kelly has four clean sheets and his team has totaled five shutouts. Juan Diego is just as tough on offense, scoring three or more goals in every game so far this season.
Bingham (South Jordan), the sole remaining undefeated team in Class 5A, is also one of the best when it comes to shutting down opponents in crunch time. The Miners (5-0) have allowed just three goals this season and have won three games decided by a one-goal margin.
Defense isn't the only effective weapon. Two unbeaten squads are using offense to get the job done.
Wasatch (Heber City) (5-0-3) has benefited from the electric playmaking skills of
Toby Holmes. The senior leads Class 4A with 12 goals in eight games. Holmes ranks third among all players statewide in goals scored and has tallied 48 percent of the Wasps' goals through eight games by himself.
American Leadership Academy (Spanish Fork) (5-0-2) is making an explosive offense its calling card once again this season. The defending Class 2A champions are averaging 4.1 goals per game and 5.4 per game in region play. The Eagles already have four players who have scored at least three or more goals through seven games – led by six strikes from
Joseph Valle.
Consistent dominance on offense or defense has lifted these teams atop the standings early in the 2016 season. For that reason, it may be a while before any of these unbeaten squads see anything except a zero in the loss column.
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
