1 / 6

Skyridge senior Addilynn Arnell (left) celebrates with senior Megan Hanson (center) after Hanson scored during the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

2 / 6

A Skyridge player takes a shot during the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

3 / 6

Skyridge senior Annika Schavey (right) celebrates with junior Emma Hughes after Hughes scored during the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

4 / 6

Skyridge junior Emily Noorda passes the ball during the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

5 / 6

Skyridge freshman Kate Scoville (right) battles for the ball during the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

6 / 6

Skyridge players run onto the field after the 9-1 Falcon win over Taylorsville in Lehi in the 6A first round on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

When playing an opponent that is a big underdog and thus has nothing to lose in a win-or-go-home playoff game, it’s critical for the favorites to not let the other team hang around.

The Skyridge girls soccer team found itself in that position Thursday afternoon in its 6A first round home game against Taylorsville.

Fortunately for the Falcons, senior Addilynn Arnell was ready to capitalize early and often.

Skyridge blitzed the Warriors, forcing some early turnovers that got the ball to where Arnell could put it away. She scored a hat trick in the first 10 minutes of play, sparking the Falcons to the 9-1 win.

“We found something that worked and kept doing it,” Arnell said. We’ve been working on our press in the practices a lot. Our press is what gave us those first three goals.”

She acknowledged that it was the fastest she had ever scored a hat trick in her career, but she credited senior Kylie Olsen for her great crosses.

She said the key for Skryidge was to not get caught in the trap of thinking it would be an easy game.

“We couldn’t come in thinking we had already won,” Arnell said. “It’s the state tournament and anything can happen. They knew it would possibly be their last game and it could’ve been our last game. We needed to play our style of play.”

Falcon head coach Toby Peterson said he felt like his squad did a good job of making sure they didn’t let up.

“We asked them to play to their full potential today primarily because these are dangerous situations,” Peterson said. “They want to keep going just as bad as we do and you never know what’s going to happen. They’re a good team. But we asked our girls to play to their full potential today and I think that we come really close. We moved the ball around and it asked them to see the field well, and they did that.”

Taylorsville did get one moment to celebrate when they got a goal in the 21st minute, but that would be it.

Skyridge came back with goals from junior Emma Hughes, junior Annika Johns (twice), Olsen, junior Liza Jones and sophomore Cambria Lee as they surged to the dominating win.

The reality, however, is that this needs to be a springboard to the next step in the playoffs because the Falcons have big goals.

“We want to get back to the 6A championship game,” Peterson said. “We think we have some unfinished business from last year.”

While that is the overall goal for all of the teams in the playoffs, no one can look past the upcoming round. Skyridge knows that, since it will be facing a familiar opponent.

“We’re going up against Pleasant Grove on Tuesday,” Peterson said. “Both games in region were tight games, so anything’s possible. And if we’re not playing to our full potential, We could see our season end on Tuesday. That’s not what we want.”

Arnell said the Falcons know it’s going to be another battle with the Vikings.

“There’s good and bad to it,” Arnell said. “You know their strengths and weaknesses but they also know your strengths and weaknesses. We’ve won one but we’ve lost to them too. Anything can happen, but I think the key is just taking their weaknesses and exploiting them, and then fixing our weaknesses that they know we have.”

She hopes the way the team played in the win over Taylorsville will be a good sign.

“But I think how we played today, knowing we can score, I think will help us a ton in the next round,” Arnell said. “Getting lots of those opportunities and being able to score will be big because the games against Pleasant Grove have been close.”

The Vikings (the No. 6 seed in the 6A tournament) will host No. 11-seed Skyridge on Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. in the second round of the playoffs.

Newsletter