Skip to main content

Davis Journal

Davis captures Region 1 boys soccer title, awaits playoffs

May 12, 2023 11:54AM ● By Josh McFadden

In what has been somewhat of an unusual season for boys soccer, the Davis Darts have come out on top of Region 1. 

A prolonged winter with heavy snowfall marred the early part of the campaign, forcing postponements and cancellations. The season was nothing like the 2020 season, which saw an abrupt end after just a few games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, at the beginning of the season, it was hard to fit in games or even practice outdoors. 

But the Darts adjusted and now have another region crown to show for it. 

Davis finished the regular season at 11-2 overall and 10-2 in league games. Davis finished one game ahead of second-place Fremont. The two teams split during the season, with each team winning at home. For the Darts, it was their first league title since 2019. 

By the second week of May, the Darts were waiting for their RPI ranking to determine their playoff seeding. The Class 6A state tournament was slated to start May 12 with higher-seeded teams getting to play at home. The top eight teams got first-round byes, with Davis likely to be in that group. The second round and quarterfinals were also on higher-seeded teams’ home fields. The semifinals, May 23, and the finals, May 25, are at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman and America First Field in Sandy, respectively. 

Davis has won with a good combination of a solid offense and defense. 

The Darts outscored region foes 32-14 in their 12 games. The defense had some struggles early on, allowing four goals at Fremont on April 19 and three goals at Weber on April 12. However, Davis made some adjustments and proved to be tougher on the back end later in the year. After the 4-1 loss at Fremont, the Darts never allowed more than a goal in a game over the final seven contests. In that stretch, the team went undefeated, posted four shutouts and outscored the opposition 20-3. 

Jude Walker was the starting goalkeeper, recording four shutouts on the year. He got plenty of help from his defensive mates. The offense was more consistent throughout the season. Davis scored at least two goals in 11 of its 13 games and had at least three goals eight times. The Darts were only shut out once: 2-0 to Farmington on March 15. Incidentally, Davis got revenge when the two teams met again on April 14 when it shut out the Phoenix 4-0. 

Ten different Davis players scored this season. Andrew Donigan and Bjorn Bergant each had six goals during the regular season. Talon Meyer and Noah Jolley each had four. Kyle Livermore, who had three goals, led the team during the regular season with nine assists. Donigan had four assists. 

The Darts will look to make another deep run in the state tournament. Last season, Davis advanced to the 6A title but fell 1-0 to a surprising Herriman team. λ