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South Jordan Journal

Bingham girls soccer trying to keep up with rest of strong region

Oct 04, 2018 03:59PM ● By Jana Klopsch

Bingham (in dark jerseys) battles Lone Peak for the ball on a corner kick in a game earlier this season. (Photo by Patrick McDonald)

By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

In the Utah High School Activities Association, Region 4 is noteworthy in a few ways. Not only does it span two counties, but it also features some of the state’s top girls soccer teams. 

The second items had made the going tough for the Bingham Miners. 

It’s not as though Bingham coaches and players didn’t realize the challenges ahead of them this season. Last year, in the inaugural season of Class 6A, Bingham tied for third in Region 4, winning the tiebreaker against Lone Peak. The Miners made it all the way to the semifinals on the strength of a battled-hardened club.

This year, the Miners are facing a similar road, as they were winless in their first five league outings, losing four and managing a scoreless tie with Westlake on Aug. 28. Three of those region losses were by three goals, while the other was a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Lone Peak in the league opener on Aug. 22. In that contest, Kallie James and Shelby Keating found the back of the net for Bingham, but the defense couldn’t overcome a pair of first-half goals from the Knights.

Pleasant Grove has been a nemesis this season for Bingham. The Miners and Vikings faced off twice in the Miners’ first five league games, with Pleasant Grove prevailing 4-1 on both occasions. The first came on Aug. 24 at Bingham when the Miners allowed two goals in each half. On Sept. 4, Pleasant Grove duplicated the feat with another 4-1 win, this time at home. Ashlee Kammeyer scored for Bingham in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset three Viking goals in the final 40 minutes. 

Bingham also dropped a 3-0 decision to American Fork on Aug. 30. In its first five region games, the Miners totaled just four goals. 

It’s not as though Bingham isn’t a team to reckon with. The Miners went 3-0-1 in non-region games to start the season. They scored victories over Riverton (3-1), Bountiful (2-0) and Highland (3-0), and managed a 1-1 tie with Class 5A’s Alta on Aug. 9. It’s proof that Region 4 is a gauntlet of formidable games. As of Sept. 24, American Fork and Lone Peak had combined for an overall record of 22-3. 

This season, there are five teams in Region 4. This means the Miners must only avoid last place in the region to reach the state tournament. Bingham players and coaches know that once in the playoffs, anything is possible. Last year is proof of that when the Miners had won just four of 10 games entering the postseason but won a pair of games at state. 

Bingham plays each league foe three times. They lost at American Fork on Sept. 18 and defeated Pleasant Grove on Sept. 20. The final regular season game is Oct. 4 at home against American Fork.