Syracuse girls soccer collapses, then regroups for extra-time win over Davis
-
- Syracuse’s Abby Affleck (12) fires a shot against Davis on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Simone Packer, left, shoots against Syracuse’s Erin Bott (43) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse player Eva Christensen (4) lines up a kick as Davis player Kate Willard trails on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player T’Maea Eteuati, left, holds off a Syracuse challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Abby Affleck (12) celebrates her goal with Talia Thompson (8) and Taylee Hughes (21) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Abby Affleck (12) celebrates her goal with Talia Thompson (8) and Taylee Hughes (21) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Vivian Fries (16) tries to move past Syracuse’s Maya Clark (18) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Eva Christensen (4) challenges a Davis player on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Abby Affleck (12) strikes the ball against Davis on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Talia Thompson heads the ball in a match against Davis on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Eva Christensen strikes the ball against Davis on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Makenna Couser, left, and Syracuse’s Talia Thompson (8) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Vivian Fries shields the ball against Syracuse on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Courtney Burbidge (27) keeps past Syracuse’s Talia Thompson (8) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Davis player Courtney Burbidge, right, races to the ball against Syracuse’s Talia Thompson (8) on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse and Davis battle in a girls soccer match on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
-
- Syracuse’s Jocee Eddy (6) surveys the field while Davis player Courtney Burbidge pursues on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Kaysville.
KAYSVILLE — Jocee Eddy is just a sophomore, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it by the way she plays soccer, nor by the way she talks about it.
Her dissection of the Davis High defense on a play that helped lead to a golden goal in the sixth minute of extra time, and her description of the play afterward, might make one think she not only has a highly successful playing career ahead of her but that she might also have a future in coaching.
“I think I showed for the throw-in, and I had a great throw-in to me (by Emma McCormick),” she said as she started to break down the play that led to a 4-3 Titans victory in a battle of Region 1 powers Tuesday.
“We had great movement off the ball, I turned, Abby (Affleck) had great movement, she showed, I passed it to her, she passed it back to me — great pass — and then Taylee (Hughes) had a beautiful run through and had a perfect placement on that goalie.”
Perfectly designed, perfectly executed and perfectly described.
It was also the perfect display of determination and resilience of a Syracuse squad that had just blown a 3-0 lead in the final 11 minutes of the second half and could have lost if not for a goal that was scored perhaps not even a full second after the clock hit triple zeros.
“I think we just started off with 0-0 (in extra time) and we knew that if we played our game and got on the attack quick that we could score because of our attack,” said Eddy, who now has 12 assists this season to go along with five goals. “I think that we did a great job of picking up after being down and on ourselves and we decided to pick it up and say, ‘Hey, this is our game,’ and win it for us.”
It was a key learning moment for the Titans.
“I think it shows us that we’ve got to keep our heads and we’ve got to keep playing the whole game, even with a 3-0 lead, because a good team like Davis is going to come back and be able to score on us if we don’t play our game,” Eddy said. “I think it shows us that moving forward, we don’t want this to happen again because it was stressful. And I think that if we just play our game and don’t let silly ones in and silly fouls, I think we’ll be good.”
Syracuse (9-1, 3-0 Region 1) jumped to an early lead with a goal in the second minute. Affleck, the Titans’ leading scorer this season, netted her ninth goal of the year from a Talia Thompson assist. Syracuse extended its lead to 2-0 with just 20 seconds left in the first half when Hughes headed in a corner kick from Eddy.
The Titans’ lead became 3-0 in the 60th minute when a cross by Hughes led to a Thompson goal, her eighth of the season.
Davis (7-3, 2-1) finally got on the board in the 70th minute when Avery Johnson blistered in a goal, assisted by Brooklyn Phongsavath. Johnson had just gotten onto the field a few minutes earlier.
Davis coach Dillon Richens credited Johnson for igniting the team, and Simone Packer used the fuel to become almost a one-girl wrecking crew. She drew a foul to set up a penalty kick, which she converted, in the 74th minute, then scored on a header in the 75th minute to tie the game at 3-3, her team-high ninth goal of the season. Sammy Maudsley assisted the equalizer.
Packer put in another two goals, but both were waved off — the first because of an offside call in the 77th minute and the second because the officials said it came after the clock expired.
“She has desire like no one I’ve seen,” Richens said. “When she gets the ball on her foot, she’s wanting to make an impact.”
In extra time, Syracuse rediscovered its aggression. Hughes cited passing as the key factor in the golden goal.
“It wasn’t just me. I had the easy shot,” said Hughes, who now has eight goals this season. “Jocee and Abby had the good passes in the combo.”
Initially, Hughes didn’t think her shot would be successful.
“I thought that the goalie was going to block it because I was like falling over,” she said. “But it was right to the corner, so I scored.”
Regarding the official decision to disallow the goal at the end of regulation, Syracuse coach Jason Steiner acknowledged he thought his team had lost.
“I’m glad (the officials) were paying attention. … I’m watching the game and just thinking Davis got one on us, and so I thought it was over,” he said.
There was no buzzer sounded at the Angel Street Soccer Complex, and the whistle appeared to be blown after the ball hit the back of the net.
“I think (the official) recognized that time had expired before (the ball) crossed the line there,” Steiner said.
Richens understandably had a different perspective.
“I’m going to say there was time on the clock because I wanted to win the game, right? I honestly thought there was, but I can totally understand if someone else has a split-second different look, they can see otherwise, and so it is what it is,” Richens said.
“I wish they would have just played until the ref blew his whistle … because he didn’t blow the whistle (until) after the ball was in the back of the net. I don’t think, so, technically, it should be that, but, honestly, it was a great game.”
Richens praised Syracuse’s ability to be opportunistic.
“I think they did a good job of capitalizing on their opportunities, and that’s a high-level attribute to have when you have an opportunity you take it,” he said. “They did a good job. Whenever they could score, I thought they did, and especially that last goal was phenomenal. It was a team goal and credit to them.”
Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer can be contacted at rcomer@standard.net.