Unlike other springs sports such as baseball and softball, the boys state soccer playoffs have a single-elimination format. This means a loss ends the team’s season. Two rounds into the Class 6A tournament, both Davis and Farmington are still alive. 

The Darts grabbed the No. 2 seed in 6A, thanks to a strong overall mark of 12-2. The Darts won Region 1 with a 10-2 record. Those accomplishments helped the team to earn a first-round bye and a second-round home game. In the second round on May 16, Davis faced Region 4’s American Fork, which came into the game with an 8-8 record. 

Davis got everything they wanted from the Cavemen in a narrow 1-0 victory. 

Bjorn Bergant scored in the first half for the Darts, his team-leading seventh goal of the year. Kasen Smith assisted on the score. It turned out to be the only goal Davis needed to advance in the playoffs. A strong defense, anchored by goalie Jude Walker, helped to preserve the win. Walker got shutout No. five on the season. It was the closest game for Davis since dispatching Syracuse 2-1 on April 28. Since then, the Darts had reeled off four straight wins, all by at least two goals.  

Up next for Davis is another challenge. In a match for the right to go to the semifinals, the Darts will face seventh-seeded Pleasant Grove at home. The Vikings, from Region 4, enter the contest with a 10-6 record. They finished second in Region 4 behind league champion Lone Peak, the state’s top-ranked team. 

A victory over Pleasant Grove would pit the Darts against the winner of Skyridge and fellow Region 1 foe Fremont on May 23 at Zions Bank Stadium. Davis finished a game ahead of Fremont in the region standings. Fremont handed Davis one of its two losses on the season when it routed the Darts 4-1 on April 19. Davis won the previous meeting 3-2 back on March 17. 

Farmington

Not to be left out, the Phoenix are still going strong in the tournament as well. 

Farmington went 9-3 in Region 1, tying Fremont for second place behind Davis. For its efforts, Farmington grabbed the fourth seed and also secured a first-round bye. In the second round on May 16, the Phoenix hosted defending 6A champion Herriman, a team that was a surprise winner of the tournament a year ago. But Herriman didn’t have last season’s magic. In the second-round game, Farmington got a second-half goal from Chase Ashby to hold off the Mustangs 1-0. Davis Wadsworth got the shutout, No. 5.5 for him on the year. Cole Janke got the assist. It was the sixth win in a row for the Phoenix, who improved to 11-3 on the season. 

Next up in the quarterfinals is a May 18 game against Syracuse, a team that Farmington beat twice during region play this season. Both wins were by one goal. The winner of this contest moves to the semifinals on May 23 to face either top-seeded Lone Peak or Mountain Ridge. That game will be at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. λ