(St. George, UT) – The Flyers and Warriors girls played a physical, and spirited soccer match Thursday night at Walt Brooks Stadium, including two overtime periods—but a definitive winner did not walk off the field grass with a win.

The two teams played to a 1-1 tie and probably made their September 27th match double in value.

“You get the point [in the standings] and that’s fine and dandy, but gosh it puts more pressure on both of us now,” said Snow Canyon coach Kenny Kunde.

Dixie’s record is now 2-0-1 in region while Snow Canyon’s is 3-0-1.

There was a good showing of people in the stands cheering passionately for their respective teams, and the happenstance of overtime between Dixie and Snow Canyon should not have surprised anybody.

In the last 11 contests between the two schools (dating back to and including the 2006 season), five times they have played double-overtime matches.

In addition, the Warriors have had the Flyers’ number. Dixie has not beaten Snow Canyon since a 2007 double-overtime 1-0 win.

But this Dixie team does not care about the past, their 6-0-1 record certainly is indicative of their mindset and recent play, and the Warriors’ coach noticed.

“Dixie is ten times better than they were last year,” Kunde said. “They’ve worked hard and you can tell their girls have been putting extra time in to improve their play.

“That is a much better team than what we saw last season.”

Flyers’ Aubri Challis, who is called ‘Baby Challis’ due to her freshman status, put her team up 1-0 in the 18th minute on a scrambled sequence right in front of Snow Canyon’s keeper.

Challis received the ball only six yards out from in front of the Warriors’ box, she gathered the ball in from a second ricochet, and hard-kicked the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net.

Challis’s demonstration of cool-play in a high-traffic situation was just another showing of her talent.

Dixie coach Burt Myers gleamed when asked to describe the ninth-grader who tallied her team-leading fifth goal.

“She’s a freshman, and plays beyond her years,” Myers said. “I bring her out to give her a rest, and immediately I want to insert her back into the game.

“Aubri is just an outstanding person, and soccer player.”

Flyers’ captain Emma Pasley is enjoying watching younger players blend with the veterans on Dixie’s team.

“Baby Challis, she’s our girl right now,” Pasley said. “She’s one who we look to right now.

“It’s very exciting that some of the younger players are playing well and contributing on this team. They [underclassmen] are making positive impact on this team.”

Dixie’s 1-0 lead remained at halftime and it was not until the 67th minute that another soccer ball went passed a goalie.

Snow Canyon’s Cecilee Horlacher slammed an Arianna Weide cross into the back of the Dixie net tying the game 1-1.

The teams competed, or endured, another 33 minutes in completing the 100-minute battle. Both squads showed great effort and had the people in the stands fully engaged.

“I thought we played hard and with a lot of heart,” Myers said. “When these two teams get together, it’s a healthy rivalry. Both teams played physical soccer.”

Flyers’ Pasley added, “I liked the fight that we played with tonight. When we play them [Snow Canyon], we want to play with high intensity, and with great pride. It is a war.”

The fact that a player from each team received red cards and a Snow Canyon assistant coach received one as well proved the elevated and charged atmosphere, in addition to plenty of players sent to the grass.

“It was a very physical tone in this game,” Kunde said. “That’s what happens when you get two undefeated teams meeting and they both know what’s on the line.”

That second tilt between Snow Canyon and Dixie on September 27th is going to be a big one.

It will probably take more than the regulation 80 minutes to decide and it could determine the No. 1 seed from Region 9 for the 3A playoffs.

E-mail: develon.isom@kcsg.com

Twitter: DevelonIsom-KCSG

REGION 9 GIRLS SOCCER STANDINGS:

Snow Canyon 3-0-1 (5-1-1 overall)

Pine View 3-1 (3-4 overall)

Dixie 2-0-1 (6-0-1 overall)

Cedar 2-1 (4-3 overall)

Desert Hills 1-2 (3-4 overall)

Hurricane 0-3 (3-3 overall)

Canyon View 0-4 (2-6 overall)