What began in the heat of early August ended the second week of October for the Woods Cross girls soccer team. The 2024 season is now in the books for the Wildcats, closing the chapter on a season that saw its share of highs and lows. 

Woods Cross ended the year with a 6-12 record. The team placed sixth in the eight-team Region 5 with a 6-8 mark. Despite having a below-.500 league record, the Wildcats outscored their foes collectively by a 27-25 margin. Woods Cross suffered two losses by a single goal and four more by two goals in region action. 

The season included some impressive victories for Woods Cross. 

Most notably, Woods Cross shut out eventual region champion Bountiful 3-0 on Aug. 15. The Wildcats also won convincingly over rival Viewmont on Sept. 19 by the score of 4-1. 

In the Class 5A state tournament, Woods Cross secured the No. 17 seed. It faced No. 16 Timpview on the road in first-round action Oct. 10. The Wildcats fell into an early hole and battled back, nearly making a furious rally to force overtime. Woods Cross was down 3-0 at halftime before getting goals from Nixon Milliron and Bailey Brown in the second half. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, time ran out in the contest and in the season. 

It was a season of streaks for Woods Cross. 

The Wildcats lost all three non-region games to start the year, giving up three goals in each outing. After a pair of wins to start the Region 5 slate, the Wildcats then dropped four more games to fall to 2-7. However, the team regrouped to win five of its next seven matchups, including an exciting shootout victory over Bonneville on Sept. 26 on the road. In the regular-season finale, Woods Cross fell at home to Northridge 3-1 on Oct. 3. 

Woods Cross will miss Brown next season. The senior will graduate this school year after pacing the team with nine goals this past season. She also added a pair of assists. However, two big contributors will be back in 2025 to bolster the team’s chances of improving. Sophomore Clara Howes was second on the team with six goals, adding two assists as well. Fellow sophomore Sydney Oakes will be a focal point of the team next year after piling up 10 assists this past season. She added five goals too. Oakes had perhaps her biggest game of the year Sept. 10 at Bountiful when she had three assists. 

Also back in 2025 will be Milliron, who had three goals and two assists this season. Juniors Lucy Thompson and Halle Tucker will also look to have bigger roles next year. Sophomore goalie Kacey Durtschi had two shutouts this season. 

Next year, the Wildcats are aiming to bounce back after suffering their first sub-.500 season since 2020. Woods Cross was 9-8 in each of the two previous seasons and 11-6 in 2021. Head coach David Newman just finished his 13th season with the team. He has a record of 199-95. λ