Bountiful, Woods Cross boys soccer fall in 5A quarterfinals
May 23, 2024 10:12AM ● By Josh McFadden
Against some stiff competition, the Bountiful and Woods Cross boys soccer teams saw their seasons come to an end in the Class 5A state tournament.
Following earlier-round wins in the playoffs, both teams reached the quarterfinals where they couldn’t overcome higher seeds in road games.
Bountiful
The Redhawks were impressive in its second-round victory on the road at Brighton on May 14. But on May 17, that pitted the team up against undefeated Wasatch, the top seed in 5A. With a trip to Zions Bank Stadium and the semifinals on the line, Bountiful had to find a way to do what no other team had done all season – give Wasatch a loss.
It didn’t happen.
Bountiful kept things close with a 1-0 deficit at halftime but allowed two Wasatch goals in the second half. Elias Pacheco scored off an assist from Thomas Thorne in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Bountiful fell 3-1, ending its season with a record of 11-6.
Thorne ended up leading the team in scoring this season with 10 goals on the year. Cody Forbes wasn’t far behind with eight goals, while Pacheco added six goals. Thorne’s stellar year also included a team-leading eight assists. Five other players – Giona Weston, Jakob Patterson, Pacheco, Forbes and Trent Millard – each had two assists. In the net, goalie Nash McReynolds had 2.5 assists.
The Redhawks will have no shortage of returning players in 2025.
Bountiful’s roster lists 32 underclassmen, including juniors Pacheco, Millar and Forbes. Thorne is a senior, so replacing him will be no easy task. McReynolds graduates this year, but backup goalkeeper Carter Watson, a junior, saw some time in the net this season. He produced 0.5 shutouts this season.
Woods Cross
The Wildcats defeated a pair of fellow Region 5 foes in the first two rounds of the 5A playoffs. But Woods Cross ran into too much firepower in the quarterfinals.
On May 17, the Wildcats traveled to Salem Hills to take on the third-seeded SkyHawks from Region 7. As the 22nd seed, Woods Cross had already advanced further than most people thought.
Early on, Woods Cross has in striking distance.
Zach Despain scored a first-half goal for Woods Cross, keeping the game close at 2-1 at halftime. But Salem Hills added two more goals in the second half while shutting out the Wildcats after the break. With the 4-1 loss, Woods Cross ended its season with a 7-10 record.
Despain led the team in scoring in 2024 with five goals. He was also the leader in assists with three. Spencer Keddington contributed four goals this season along with a pair of assists. Cohen Neilson had three goals on the year. Goalie Brayden Lloyd had two shutouts this season.
Though it had 10 losses on the year, most were close and competitive. Woods Cross lost seven games by a single goal. The Wildcats will be looking to improve its offensive production next season. The Wildcats scored 21 goals this season and were shut out four times.