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Skyridge boys soccer gets pressure PK to beat Pleasant Grove in 6A semifinals

By Jared Lloyd - | May 23, 2023
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Skyridge players celebrate with junior Josh Guymon (center-right) after he scored the game-winning penalty kick during the 6A semifinal game at RSL Academy in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Pleasant Grove senior keeper Stephen Bichon lunges the wrong way on a Skyridge shot during the penalty shootout during the 6A semifinal game at RSL Academy in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Pleasant Grove players lay on the field after losing the penalty shootout to Skyridge during the 6A semifinal game at RSL Academy in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Skyridge players block a free kick during the 6A semifinal game against Pleasant Grove at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Pleasant Grove senior Jacob Steggell heads the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Skyridge at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Skyridge and Pleasant Grove players battle for the ball during the 6A semifinal game at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Pleasant Grove sophomore Golden McMurtrey tries to get the ball away from Skyridge senior Parry Tanner during the 6A semifinal game at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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A Pleasant Grove player crosses the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Skyridge at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Lone Peak senior Cole Shin dribbles the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Syracuse at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Lone Peak and Syracuse players battle for the ball during the 6A semifinal game at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
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Lone Peak senior Cole Shin dribbles the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Syracuse at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Skyridge junior forward Josh Guymon has the nickname “Guymon in the rough,” which he admits he didn’t understand initially.

But Falcon head coach Jerry Preisendorf explained that his nickname was particularly appropriate in Tuesday’s 6A semifinal game against Pleasant Grove at RSL Academy in Herriman.

“The saying is that without pressure, there is no ‘Guymon’ (instead of diamonds),” Preisendorf said. “So that’s what we had.”

Guymon certainly had plenty of pressure on his shoulders as he walked up to take the final penalty kick in the shootout after the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

His Skyridge squad had made 3-of-4 PKs to that point, while the Vikings had made 3-of-5. That meant victory and a spot in the 6A state championship came down to how he did.

“I will be honest … I was nervous,” Guymon admitted. “I just knew I wanted to put it bottom right. All of my teammates were helping me out as well. Jake Long was big. He helped me out a lot.”

He said he didn’t want to think about what was riding on his shot, focusing instead on doing his job.

“The best thing you can do is just pick out a spot,” Guymon said. “You breathe, pick your head up and slot it right in.”

Guymon did just that as the Pleasant Grove keeper leapt the other way and the ball hit the net cleanly to earn the 1-1 (4-3) win, sparking a wild celebration for the Falcons.

“It was amazing,” Guymon said. “I think it was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”

Preisendorf said Guymon chose to have the pressure and he handled it with diamond-like nerves.

“I asked him once, and he looked at me and said I’ll go five,” Preisendorf said. “So there we go. It was a good decision, I guess.”

The drama of the final penalty kick capped a wacky semifinal that ended up taking nearly five hours from start to finish and was played on two different fields.

The two teams kicked off at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman at 2:30 p.m. but less than 20 minutes into the match it was halted due to lightning in the area.

Play resumed more than an hour later, but then had to be halted again as another thunderstorm came barreling over the Oquirrh Mountains.

At that point, the teams, administrators, facility personnel and the Utah High School Activities Association worked it out to move the rest of the game inside to the RSL Academy practice fields.

“They stayed in it,” Preisendorf said. “They didn’t get down on each other. They were pumping each other up and trying to help each other get through it.”

Pleasant Grove head coach Chris Ecalono said he felt like his guys hung in well too.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Ecalono said. “We came out after all the stoppages, turned the tide and gained the momentum. We came out of the stadium but when we got inside, we played even better. We did what we wanted to and executed our game plan.”

The Vikings scored first on a goal by junior Nathan Martinez, but Skyridge came back with a free kick to a dangerous area by sophomore Lucas White that found its way across the line to tie things up.

Both teams had some chances afterwards to take the lead (with a few more of them going in favor of Pleasant Grove), but no one could put another goal in.

That set the stage for the penalty-kick shootout and Guymon’s clutch finish.

While it certainly wasn’t the result the Vikings wanted, Ecalono said he was extremely proud of the team his athletes molded in 2023.

“We lost to Lone Peak 7-1 and felt really broken after that game,” he said. “We had a meeting to talk about our identity and the guys came up with words like gritty and hard and tough. I’ve had some talented teams in the past but what I will remember about this group is their heart and grit and courage.”

Skyridge now heads to their second 6A title game in three years, although the Falcons are hoping for a better outcome.

“Our goal was to win state and we’re not finished,” Preisendorf said. “Here we go. It will be fun on Thursday.”

Guymon said he’s looking forward to the opportunity.

“We’ve been through rough patches and we’ve had very good very good patches this year,” Guymon said. “It’s certainly a big moment for us, especially for all the seniors. Let’s hope we can take it.”

In the other 6A semifinal, undefeated Lone Peak (the top seed) scored first on a goal by Jackson Gunther but No. 12-seed Syracuse come storming back.

The Titans equalized before halftime, then put in three goals in the second half to stun the Knights, 4-1.

Lone Peak head coach Danny Mason declined to talk about his team’s performance or its season.

That victory put Syracuse in the 6A title game to face the Falcons.

The championship will be played at America First Field in Sandy on Thursday at 5 p.m.

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