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Springville's Samantha Hullinger played a big role in limiting Timpview to no goals in her team's 2-0 quarterfinal win

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville's Trevi Jackson dribbles the ball behind Timpview's defense in her team's 2-0 quarterfinal win on Thursday

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville's Savannah Johnston applied constant pressure on the Thunderbirds during her team's 2-0 win in the quarterfinals

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville captain Sage Conrad scored both of her team's goals in a 2-0 win over Timpview

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville Coach Todd Hollingshead coaches his team during halftime of Thursday's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Timpview

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville's Adalie Dodd

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville celebrates Sage Conrad's second goal in Thursday's 2-0 win over Timpview

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville's Sage Conrad celebrates after her team's 2-0 quarterfinal win over Timpview

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

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Springville girls soccer has risen above just about every challenge so far this season, so a challenge of being game-ready at 9 a.m. in the morning this coming Tuesday is a welcome one.

Of course the 9 a.m. kickoff date is congruent with the first of two 5A state semifinal matches, with the Red Devils advancing to play Tuesday at Zions Bank Stadium versus Bountiful on the heels of a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Timpview. It all makes the challenge more than welcome, and if Springville holds to the form it’s shown all season, it will meet its latest challenge head on.

“The girls have worked really hard all season (with their) conditioning and putting in the extra work so they can finish games,” said Springville Coach Todd Hollingshead. “They’re playing for each other. They’re playing as a team. And that’s what we try and emphasize … playing for the girl next to you, and they do it … They’re playing their best soccer at the right time.”

The Red Devils put it to rival Timpview throughout Thursday’s quarterfinal win, applying constant pressure on the Thunderbird’s end while preventing a lot of scoring opportunities on their back end. Following the game Hollingshead expressed trouble assigning a team MVP for the match, considering how every individual performance contributed heavily toward the outcome.

But the team ended up voting Sage Conrad as the game MVP, with the senior striker being awarded a free sandwich coupon for her effort, which included scoring both of her team’s goals.

“It feels so good,” Conrad said. “Springville hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals since 2009. It feels so good to finally make it to the semifinals. It’s been such a fun season and I’m so proud of all the girls I’ve played with for four years. It feels good to score, but it feels good to see my teammates succeed and play well. I think this is, by far, one of my favorite games that we’ve won.”

Springville set the tone early, and in the 18th minute Conrad found herself with the ball right in front of the net, with just Timpview’s goalkeeper as lone defender to beat. The senior made quick work of her opportunity, burying the ball into the far corner to give her team a 1-0 lead.”

Of course Conrad’s opportunity didn’t just happen. She had a lot of help.

“It was a perfect pass from my teammate, Kayla Bunnell,” Conrad informed. “She just chipped it right over the defender. I happened to be there to take the touch and then just put it in the net.”

Early in the second half Conrad topped off her effort with a brilliant free kick with so much power behind the ball that it managed to break through the hands of Timpview’s goalie who was in the perfect position to defend it.

“My only goal was to keep (the shot) on frame because even if I don’t make it a teammate can make it (off a deflection),” Conrad said. “But in that case it just happened to go in, so it was a good moment.”

The Red Devils have procured a lot of good moments this year, with Conrad leading the way as one of the team’s three captains, along with fellow seniors Caroline Penrod and Halle Hall.

“Our captains are just tremendous,” Hollingshead said. “They’re not only fantastic players, but they’re fantastic people. They’re examples of the type of people we all want to be. Sage is the perfect definition of a captain. She’s our leading goal-scorer, she creates so much for our team, but she’s there for every girl. She is a great friend and a great person, and I can’t say enough good things about her.”

Conrad and her fellow captains now have the responsibility to help prepare the Red Devils for Tuesday’s extraordinary start time in hopes of advancing past that game with the goal of becoming the last team standing at the end of it all.

“It’s so special and I wanted for them so much to have that special experience,” Hollingshead said of the opportunity to playing the semifinal round at Zions Bank Stadium. “At the beginning of the year we made some goals. We made a goal to win region, and we did that. We had a goal of how many goals we wanted to score, and we did that. And then one of our goals was to play at Zions Bank, and we did that. There’s power in making goals and then working for those. So I’m so happy for them to…have earned it. We’ll now practice at nine in the morning and do whatever we need to do.”