The Hive Sports

by James Tate

In a match brimming with grit, drama, and postseason stakes, the Weber Warriors girls’ soccer team pulled off a seismic upset over the MaxPreps 6A No. 2-ranked Syracuse Titans, battling to a 1-1 draw before clinching a 5-4 victory in penalty kicks.

Senior goalkeeper Kallie Wallace anchored the Warriors with a clutch performance, delivering key saves throughout regulation and overtime, then denying Syracuse’s opening PK to set the tone for the shootout.

Syracuse struck first in the second half when senior Taylee Hughes broke through in the 36th minute, giving the Titans a 1-0 lead. But Weber responded with urgency and poise. With 19 minutes left in regulation, junior Carley Gardenhour buried the equalizer, shifting momentum and igniting the Warriors’ sideline.

Moments later, Weber appeared to take the lead when Katelyn Spencer found the back of the net on a well-placed header shot, only to have the goal waved off due to a penalty in the goalie box. The call at the 5:37 mark stunned the Weber bench and kept the match knotted at 1-1, setting the stage for a tense finish.

Syracuse senior goalkeeper Erin Bott was equally stellar between the posts, turning away multiple Weber attacks and keeping the Titans in contention as momentum swung wildly.

Hadley White (l) and Kallie Wallace (r)

Scoreless overtime sets stage for PK heroics

After a scoreless overtime, the match came down to PKs. Wallace’s early save gave Weber the edge, and Gardenhour stepped up once more, calmly slotting home the final kick to seal the win and send the Warriors into celebration.

Wallace credited her back line for keeping Syracuse’s dynamic attack in check.

“My biggest focus was keeping our defense organized and tracking our marks,” she said. “Syracuse is really dangerous on the width; they love to play the cross, so taking that option away helped us a lot.”

She didn’t hesitate to praise her teammates by name.

“I have the best defense I could ever ask for,” Wallace said. “Izzie, Jaci, Hadley, and Zoee, every one of my accomplishments is because of them. They work so hard for each other, cover for one another when someone gets beaten, and they’re just so much fun to watch, and even more fun to play with. I can’t thank them enough for saving me.”

When it came to the shootout, Wallace leaned on instinct and preparation.

“My PK strategy is to read their body language and just go for it,” Wallace said. “I’m not one to guess a direction; I trust my speed and my ability to make the decision and get to the ball. PKs are one of my favorite parts of the game. It’s the one time I get to rise up and help my team the way they help me every day.”

Jocee Eddy

Titans junior captain Jocee Eddy reflected on the match and her team’s journey.

“The game against Weber was an intense battle from start to finish, filled with high energy, strong tackles, and constant attack from us and Weber back and forth,” Eddy said. “Every minute demanded effort and heart. Even though we came up short in PKs, I couldn’t be prouder of this team. We fought hard and left everything on the field. Our finishing and connections in the final third weren’t as sharp as usual, but Erin Bott came up huge for us with some incredible saves that kept us in it.”

Eddy also spoke to the pride she feels in the Titan’s season

“Looking back, this has been the most fun and rewarding season I’ve had in my three years of high school soccer,” Eddy said. “We have such a talented group of girls and the best chemistry I’ve ever experienced on a team. We worked hard, proved ourselves game after game, and earning the region championship early is something truly special, it’s rare, and we did it.”

Despite the loss, Syracuse remains the Region 1 champion and enters the 6A playoffs as one of the classification’s top contenders — battle-tested and still very much in the hunt for a state title. The Titans will host the winner of the Cedar Valley/Salt Lake Academy game on October 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Weber opens the state championships as the No. 7 seed and will host the Corner Canyon Chargers on October 14 at 4:00 p.m.

photos courtesy of James Tate