In Utah high school girls soccer, few schools had a pedigree like Davis High School. So when the Darts struggled through the regular season with just two victories in eight tries in Region 1 play, it was surprising to see. 

But the Darts picked a great time to turn things around. 

Davis seemed to have a second life in the postseason, winning two games and advancing to within one game of the state title match. The 11-7 Darts tied for last in the five-team Region 1 but are now just two victories away from winning their seventh state title and sixth in the last 12 seasons. 

Heading into the Class 6A state tournament, Davis had won just one of its last six contests, with that lone victory coming in a shootout over Layton on Sept. 30. Davis was seeded at No. 11 in the playoffs and drew Lehi on the road on Oct. 14 in the second round, following a first-round bye. The Pioneers were 10-8 coming into the contest, seeded sixth. 

But Davis was clearly the better team on that day. 

The Darts prevailed 2-0, getting both goals from Samantha Maudsley – one in each half. Kaitlyn Harris got the shutout, her fifth of the season. The win sent Davis to the quarterfinals to face Region 1 foe and Davis County rival Farmington on Oct. 16. The Darts’ players had payback on their minds, as Farmington had defeated them in both regular-season meetings. Farmington won 2-1 at Davis on Sept. 18 and then defeated the Darts 3-2 in the regular-season finale on Oct. 7.

This time, Davis triumphed when the stakes were highest. 

Harris’ sixth shutout of the season, aided by Davis’ backline and midfield, kept Farmington off the board. Maudsley scored her ninth goal of the year when she found the back of the net in the first half. The 1-0 victory propelled Davis to the state semifinals for the second year in a row. Last season, Davis lost to Lone Peak in the state championship game. 

In the semifinals, Davis will take on another Region 1 opponent. This time, it will be Syracuse on Oct. 21 in a contest scheduled to be played at Zions Bank Stadium. Davis and Syracuse met twice during the regular season, with the Titans winning both contests. Syracuse won the first game on Sept. 9 by the score of 3-2 in double overtime. The Darts then fell to Syracuse 1-0 on Sept. 25. 

Syracuse enters the semifinals matchup with a 17-3 record and the No. 2 seed. The winner will play the winner of top-seeded Lone Peak and fourth-seeded Mountain Ridge from the other semifinal matchup. The championship game will be Oct. 24. 

As for Farmington, the Phoenix finished the season with an overall record of 12-7. They were 5-3 in Region 1, finishing in second place, two games behind Syracuse. Farmington earned the No. 3 seed in the 6A tournament and blew out Skyridge 4-0 in the second round of the playoffs.