For virtually the entire regular season, the Farmington boys soccer team was on top of Region 1. 

The Phoenix used a steady offensive attack and a stifling defense to a league title, of which they clinched at least a share with still two league games left to go. Heading into its May 1 home game with Weber, Farmington was 7-1 in Region 1, two games ahead of Syracuse. Farmington then faces the Titans on Friday in a game that (depending on what happened with Farmington against Weber) could decide whether the Phoenix win an outright region championship. 

Farmington has been consistent all year—and tough to beat.

Aside from a March 27 game at Layton, Farmington was unblemished through April—and it took a shootout for Layton to win that contest. While Farmington hasn’t typically blown people over lopsided wins, the team has been reliable in every outing. 

In going 11-1 overall heading into May, the Phoenix never allowed a team to score more than two goals on them. Six other teams scored just one goal, and Farmington posted five shutouts. In eight region games through April, the Phoenix allowed just six total goals. Their eight total goals allowed ranked first in all of Class 6A and fourth in the entire state. 

Goalkeeper Jaxon Beynon, a sophomore, has been a big reason why. 

Beynon got five shutouts in the first 12 games, though he had lots of help from his teammates on the back line. Offensively, Josh Foster’s five goals paced the team during this span. He also had two assists. Toby Grant and Jackson Cheney had four goals, and Ben Wright had three. Jack Burrup and Cole Janke had four assists each. 

This was Farmington’s first-ever region title for the school that opened in 2018. But the Phoenix want more. 

The state tournament begins May 10 with first-round games on the home fields of higher-seeded teams. Farmington will secure a first-round bye and get a second-round home game. The second round starts May 14, with the quarterfinals taking place May 16. The semifinals move to Zions Bank Stadium on May 21, with the finals slated for May 23 at America First Field in Sandy. The Phoenix hope to be there, and heading into the postseason, Farmington is certainly a favorite. 

The Phoenix ended April with a pair of shutouts, defeating Davis at home 1-0 on April 24 and taking care of Fremont on the road 2-0 on April 26. Foster scored the lone goal in the win over Davis, getting an assist from Janke in the second half. Beynon got the shutout, completing the sweep of Farmington’s rivals. 

At Fremont, both Phoenix goals came in the second half. Beynon’s shutout was critical, as was an assist from Mac Jensen. Foster and Austin Judd scored for the Phoenix. 

Farmington’s last two regular-season games were chances to not only win region outright but solidify a high seeding in the RPI rankings. The rankings came out May 8, just before state began. 

Davis 

A year after capturing the Region 1 title with a 10-2 record, Davis has had some ups and downs this season. 

As May began, and as the Darts headed into their final two games of the regular season, the team sat at 2-6 in Region 1 play, in fifth place. Overall, Davis was 4-7. A down year is rare for the Davis program, which has gone through some growing pains under new head coach Dillon Richens. Taking over for longtime coach Souli Phongsavath, who went 189-76 in 16 years, hasn’t been easy. 

Still, the postseason offers Davis a fresh chance to start over. 

It’s not like the Darts have been pushovers. Three of the team’s six region losses in March and April were by a single goal, while another came in a shootout. Davis also had a pair of 3-1 losses: to Weber on April 19 and to Syracuse on April 26. 

Eight Davis players had goals through the first 11 contests, with three of them—Miles Iverson, Noah Jolley and Braxton Passey—leading the way with three goals apiece. Bjorn Bergant and Cooper Harwood had two goals during this span. Pacing the Darts in assists has been Kyle Livermore with three. However, offense has been a challenge for Davis, which had nine goals in its first eight region games. The defense has been solid, with the Darts allowing 11 goals during this stretch. 

Davis concluded April with a pair of defeats, first at Farmington by the count of 1-0 on April 24. In the Darts' aforementioned loss at Syracuse on April 26, Livermore assisted on a first-half goal by Jet Walker for Davis. 

Anything can happen in the postseason, however. 

With the Class 6A state tournament beginning May 10, Davis has some wins in its sights. The Darts used its final two regular-season games—at home against Fremont on May 1 and at home against Layton on May 3—to bolster their RPI rankings. Securing a first-round home game would be big for Davis, which was 2-3 at home in March and April. 

Davis has four state championships to its name in boys soccer, with the last one coming in 2012. Davis also won titles in 2010, 1998 and 1983. Last season, after winning Region 1, the Darts suffered an upset loss at home in the quarterfinals to Pleasant Grove by the score of 2-1. Davis had defeated American Fork in the second round, 1-0.