2 days Ago By Deseret News
Alta’s Zach Lovell, Brighton’s Parker Clegg and Alta’s Jack McAllister reach for a header during a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta hasn’t had to play from behind very often so far this season.
Outside of its season opener against Skyridge, the Hawks have not trailed against any team and have opened the season with an 8-0 record.So, when Brighton’s Josh Ellingson scored on an assist from Adem Odobasic in the third minute, Alta knew it needed to find a new way to win. The Hawks did exactly what they needed in Tuesday’s game as their offense piled on the goals for a 5-2 win over Brighton.
“I think in our very first game Skyridge scored on us first,” said Alta head coach Mackenzie Hyer. “Since then they’ve just come together and decided, ‘This is who we are and we’re just going to go out there and take care of business.’ Brighton came to play today and they really had us scrambling there at the beginning of the game.
”The momentum was certainly in favor of the Bengals after Ellingson’s opening goal. Brighton has struggled so far in Region 6 as it’s opened its first five region games with a 1-4 record, so the early goal was a confidence builder.However, Alta wasn’t going down for long and its offense poured an avalanche on the Bengals defense, starting with Jack McAllister as he found Tanner Kunz for the equalizer in the 13th minute.
Then it was Beckham Butler who scored consecutive goals, one in the 17th minute and the next in the 20th.Within a seven minute span, Alta went from trailing 1-0 to taking a strong 3-1 lead.“What was great was our response,” Hyer said.
“We just settled in and you could just see it on their faces that our boys were like, ‘OK. Now we’re going to go.’ It was no longer about nerves and they were going to play our game.
” Brighton’s Ammon Young and Alta’s Dawson Barney react to an Alta goal in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Brighton goalkeeper Lawson Smith grabs the ball away from Alta’s Tanner Kunz (#11) in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2.
| Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2.
| Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta’s Jack McAllister kicks the ball during a boys varsity soccer game against Brighton at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2.
| Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta’s Dawson Barney dribbles the ball during a boys varsity soccer game against Brighton at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta’s Jack McAllister and Brighton’s Parker Clegg fight for the ball during a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2.
| Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Brighton’s James Lewis and Alta’s Tyler Jordan fight for the ball during a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta plays Brighton in a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Alta won 5-2. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Alta’s Zach Lovell, Brighton’s Parker Clegg and Alta’s Jack McAllister reach for a header during a boys varsity soccer game at Alta High School in Sandy on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Alta won 5-2.
| Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Despite giving up three unanswered goals, Brighton kept getting the ball downfield and found a second first-half goal in the 30th minute. Brighton’s Parker Clegg played a ball to the left side of the field and Odobasic finished it to bring the game within 3-2 before halftime.Alta was eager to get into halftime.
Despite taking back the lead, Tuesday’s game was the first time this year the Hawks gave up two goals in the first half and they knew they had things to clean up.“I think halftime was good for us,” said Hyer. “We talked about how they’re changing formations, how to recognize it, who is marking who and how to step up and play.
Our boys just responded in the right way. They were coachable and they were able to take those critiques and criticisms and make changes, and it just allowed us to just kind of settle the game and take control.”The second half was a different story from the first and a much more dominant one for Alta.
The Hawks’ defense stayed tighter and didn’t give up the same chances to Brighton it did in the first half. Meanwhile, Alta’s offense kept up the pressure and ran away with the game with a goal in the 51st and 53rd minute.Max Wimmer scored in the 51st and Butler completed the hat trick in the 53rd on a goal from a penalty kick for the 5-2 lead.
What was once a scary early deficit became a dominant lead for the Hawks, and they improved their region record to a perfect 4-0.“They all want to score, they all want the assist, but they want to be the first one there celebrating their team,” Hyer said. “I think it shows that it doesn’t matter who’s getting the assist or who is scoring the goal.
Everybody is just doing their job and waiting for it to be their time to put one in the back of the net.”.
