Girls soccer: Weaver, Clearfield upend Box Elder with second-half surge
Freshmen Falcons seal the deal late over Box Elder
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- Clearfield junior Kamryn Weaver (20) celebrates with her teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of a home match vs. Box Elder on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield.
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- Box Elder junior goalkeeper Emma Nelson boots the ball during a match at Clearfield High on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield junior Raegan Cornell (15) steers into Box Elder freshman Milley Barber (9) during a home match vs. Box Elder on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield junior Kamryn Weaver (20) fires off a shot during the first half of a home match vs. Box Elder on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield.
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- Box Elder junior Karli Andersen (5) cuts off a pass by Clearfield freshman Lyla Leonhardt (33) during a match at Clearfield High on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield
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- Clearfield head girls soccer coach Kelly Parke directs his team during a home match vs. Box Elder on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Clearfield.
CLEARFIELD – BJ Barber expected a far more competitive effort from the Box Elder girls soccer team in a 4-0 shutout Tuesday at Clearfield. Instead, the Bees’ head coach received another reminder of how restless Region 5 has become.
Both Box Elder (4-3) and Clearfield (4-3) entered their meeting riding high off a pair of region victories last week — the Bees defeated Roy 4-1 and the Falcons escaped rival Northridge in penalty kicks — but Kelly Parke’s Falcons labeled themselves the aggressor from the kickoff.
Box Elder junior Oakley Norman narrowly denied Clearfield’s Tatum Thomas near the goal just four minutes into play. In the 29th minute, Box Elder goalkeeper Emma Nelson stopped a cross from Thomas to junior midfielder Eva Santiago with a lethal look at the net.
“The wings were eating us up all game,” Barber said. “We were just giving up that width all the way through and they just had a lot of room through the middle to play. … We had some good opportunities in the first half but we just didn’t pull the trigger like we should have.”
Clearfield junior Kamryn Weaver broke the scoring drought in the 27th minute, thanks in part to an assist by Thomas, for the Falcons’ lone score of the first half. Two lengthy injury timeouts and a near miss off the crossbar by Box Elder junior Halli Wright highlighted the rest of the half.
It took only 12 minutes back on the pitch for Weaver to find the net again, this time breaking loose on her own for the score. Two freshmen Falcons — Emmery Johnson (22nd minute) and Lyla Leonhardt (7th minute) — closed the doors on Box Elder during the second half.
Weaver praised Clearfield for putting its practice notes into action against a tough opponent and creating opportunities for insurance down the stretch.
“We’ve been working on our pressing a lot and (today) that was really good,” Weaver said. “That’s all we had. Once we won the ball, we had the counter-attack and we finished on it.”
On Thursday, Box Elder hosts Northridge (3:30 p.m.) and Clearfield travels to Roy (3:30 p.m.).
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.