This close: Osborne’s hat trick leads American Fork past Pleasant Grove
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- American Fork’s Preston Osborne (9) fires a shot against Pleasant Grove in a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- Members of the American Fork boys soccer team celebrate a 3-2 victory against Pleasant Grove in a 6A quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork boys soccer players celebrate a 3-2 victory against Pleasant Grove in a 6A quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- Pleasant Grove’s Maximo Olmos (left) and Craig Stock react after losing a 3-2 decision to American Fork in a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Beckham Rosenthal (jumping) and Pleasant Grove’s Harper Taylor pursue the ball during a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Ian Brinkerhoff (3) helps up teammate Ben Hess during a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal against Pleasant Grove on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Preston Osborne (left) dribbles up the field as Pleasant Grove’s Declan Draney gives chase in a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Beckham Rosenthal (left) and Gavin Nash (2) sandwich Pleasant Grove’s Craig Stock in a 6A boys quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- The Pleasant Grove boys soccer team huddles up before the start of a 6A quarterfinal match against American Fork on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork goalkeeper Jaxon Dingus (left) collides with Pleasant Grove’s Golden McMurtrey while defender Easton Draney looks on in a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- Pleasant Grove boys soccer players celebrate scoring a goal against American Fork in a 6A quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Lewis Knecht (left) races after the ball with Pleasant Grove’s Sam Clark in pursuit in a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
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- American Fork’s Ryan Winn (16) handles a throw-in during a 6A boys soccer quarterfinal match against Pleasant Grove on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
While holding his index finger and thumb an inch apart, American Fork boys soccer coach Casey Waldron told his players they just had to be “this much” better than their opponent.
That’s the story when Pleasant Grove and American Fork play each other.
Preston Osborne scored three second half goals and lifted the No. 2 seed Cavemen to a 3-2 victory over the 10th-seeded Vikings in Thursday’s 6A quarterfinals, the third time this season a match between the two team was decided by a single goal.
“I don’t know what it is, but it’s a great rivalry,” Osborne said. “It’s been there for a while. It’s kind of crazy, just the back and forth and back and forth. I think most of us have a lot of respect for each other but it just comes down to who wants it more.”
American Fork won the first meeting between the two teams 2-1 in double overtime on April 16, but Pleasant Grove pulled off the 3-2 upset on May 2.
“It’s interesting because Chris Ecalono (PG’s coach) is my good friend,” Waldron said. “We’ve coached club for several years together and before the season started he said, ‘You have a super team, and we’re kind of in a rebuilding year.’ But I have to take my hat off to him, because every year he somehow has a team that competes at the highest level. Pleasant Grove, they come out and fight every game.”
Pleasant Grove created some good scoring chances in the first half with corner kicks and a Lewis Knecht shot bounced off the left upright for American Fork, but the score remained 0-0 at half.
The Vikings broke through in the second half in the 52nd minute. Golden McMurtrey penetrated the AF defense and his first shot was deflected away by goalkeeper Jaxon Dingus. But McMurtrey took the rebound and punched the ball into the net for a 1-0 PG lead.
About five minutes later, American Fork was awarded a penalty kick on a hard foul from the Vikings. Osborne blasted the ball in for the score and the tie at 1-1.
Unfortunately for Pleasant Grove, defender Jack Gibbs was issued his second yellow card in the 61st minute, which resulted in the Vikings having to play a man down. The Cavemen capitalized just two minutes later. A free kick into the scoring area was deflected to the right side of the goal where Osborne was waiting all alone and he tapped it in for a 2-1 lead.
Osborne added his third goal in the 75th minute for a 3-1 AF advantage. Even short-handed, Pleasant Grove still managed to put some pressure on the Cavemen. Declan Draney’s bullet shot required a diving save from Dingus and with just a few minutes left, Demetri Larsen scored on a penalty kick to bring the Vikings to within 3-2. But American Fork was able to play keep away enough to secure the victory.
American Fork is used to play under stress. The Cavemen trailed Weber 3-1 in last year’s quarterfinals with seven minutes to play but rallied for a 4-3 victory. In this year’s second round, American Fork was tied 2-2 with Copper Hills through regulation and two overtimes but earned the victory with a 4-3 advantage in the shootout. Dingus, who likes to talk to opponents and fans during matches, told his teammates that he asked the Grizzlies’ final shooter if he had done his homework and then just before the shot said, “What’s five plus ten?” The Copper Hills players shot went high and the Cavemen moved on.
“Being in the quarterfinals situation last year and then going all the way to the state championship and winning it, I think these boys have that experience in tight games,” Waldron said. “We’ve been in these crazy situations that as coaches, it makes our blood pressure go up. But we’re just able to dig down and understand that if there’s time on the clock, don’t ever count us out. Our guys are experienced and we love that they continue to fight all the way to the end.”
American Fork (12-4-0) advances to next Tuesday’s semifinal round at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. The Cavemen will play the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between No. 13 Bingham and No. 5 Davis.
“We just know that we’re going to have a big target,” Osborne said. “We have everything to lose and not much to gain because it’s kind of just expected of us. We try to keep ourselves up and know that every game might be our last. If we don’t give it our all, then it will be, and I think that’s one of the biggest motivators that we have.”
6A Boys Soccer Quarterfinals
No. 1 Lone Peak 2, No. 8 Riverton 0
The top-seeded Knights advanced to the semifinals with a shutout of No. 8 Riverton.
Caden Shin tallied a first-half goal for Lone Peak (17-2) on an assist from Patrick Stevenson. In the second half, Crozier Zabriskie found the back of the net with the assist from Seth Larkin for the final margin. Samuel Parker and Maxwell Kandell shared the goalkeeping duties in keeping the Silverwolves scoreless.
No. 3 Skyridge 1, No. 6 Weber 0
Ryder Gentry scored a golden goal in the first overtime, sending the Falcons into the semifinals.
Jack Webster was credited with the assist on the winning goal and Troy Chamberlain earned the shutout in goal for Skyridge.
The Falcons will play No. 1 seed and Region 3 foe Lone Peak in Tuesday’s semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. The Knights won the first meeting 3-2 in overtime on April 16 and also took a 2-1 decision on May 2.
4A Boys Soccer Quarterfinals
No. 8 Mountain View 2, No. 1 Murray 2 (MV won shootout 4-3)
The Bruins pulled off a huge upset, riding Kalvin Floyd’s brace in regulation to force overtime and then a shootout against the top-seeded Spartans (17-3), where MV finished things off 4-3.
The Bruins (13-5) advance to the 4A semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium on Tuesday. Mountain View will take on the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between No. 5 Green Canyon and No. 4 Crimson Cliffs.
No. 2 Dixie 5, No. 7 Timpanogos 0
The Flyers (15-2) scored four first-half goals and rolled to a shutout of Timpanogos (11-5) in the quarterfinal round. Taylor Kogan tallied two goals and an assist for Dixie, which moves on to the semifinal.
No. 6 Ridgeline 2, No. 3 Orem 2 (Ridgeline won shootout 4-2)
The Tigers lost a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to No. 6 Ridgeline.
Weston Warnick and Nephi Chumpitaz scored for Orem to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead but Ridgeline rallied to tie the score and send the proceedings into overtime and then the shootout.
Orem finished the season with a 13-4 record.
