Clearfield girls soccer showing ‘a lot of heart’ amid its best season in a decade
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- Clearfield forward Cassidy Andrews takes a corner kick against Herriman during a 6A first-round playoff game Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield defender Abby Ertel (32) tries to clear the ball as Herriman’s Ella Willardson (38) pursues during a 6A first-round playoff game Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield forward Tatum Thomas (10) fires a shot as Herriman’s Sarah Horsley looks on during a 6A first-round playoff game Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in Clearfield.
CLEARFIELD — Many people at Clearfield High were curious. Would the school’s move down to 5A Region 5 from 6A Region 1 actually be a better competitive fit for the school’s athletic programs?
It’s only August and the sample size is small. But the girls soccer team is, so far, answering that question with a resounding “yes.”
At the season’s halfway point, the Falcons’ girls soccer team is 6-2 overall and 5-1 in Region 5, good for sole possession of first place in the region.
They’re 3-0 in overtime games and have almost matched last year’s win total of seven and have eight games left in the regular season.
While it’s lately been uncommon for Clearfield sports teams to top the region standings, the girls soccer players expected to play well in 2023. Several starters returned from last year’s team that went 7-11 and won a first-round 6A playoff game.
“Honestly, I feel like with the team that we have now, if we stayed in (6A) then we honestly could have still done good. There’s a lot of effort in the team, there’s a lot of dedication that girls put in, a lot of work,” senior defender Kennedi Henley said.
The defense ranks second in goals allowed in the region, with 11, and the offense ranks third with 15 goals scored.
Senior forward Cassidy Andrews has nine of the team’s 15 goals, including two golden-goal game-winners last week against Roy and Bountiful.
Against the latter last Thursday, the Falcons trailed 2-0 late in the second half, put a ton of pressure on the Redhawks, won 3-2 in overtime and jumped into first place in the region.
“I think we just had more heart than we’ve ever had, because it’s been so long since Clearfield has come back from a game like that. I think we just wanted to win so bad that we just worked to the very end, we didn’t give up,” Andrews said.
Andrews scored two goals in the 3-1 region win over Viewmont, two more in the 3-2 win over Woods Cross and two more in the 4-1 win over Northridge. She’s tied for second in the region in goals behind Northridge’s Abby Olsen (10).
“I’ve put in so many hours outside of normal trainings with my shooting and finishing that I just feel like it’s all falling into place now,” Andrews said. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I really really wanted it and I worked my butt off to get to where I am now.”
Along with the aforementioned move to Region 5, a better competitive fit for the school than 6A Region 1, Clearfield has a new head coach.
Kelly Parke came over to Clearfield this offseason after several years coaching at Fremont. He wants the team to focus on keeping possession, à la the Barcelona teams of the mid-2010s that fielded a team of heavyweights such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar.
“We have a lot of talent. I think they’ve bought in really quickly to the style of play that we as coaches have asked them to buy in to, and it’s happened a lot faster than I thought it would, to be honest with you,” Parke said.
The Falcons beat Pleasant Grove in a penalty shootout to open the season. They’ve mostly kept winning since, so much so that they’re on track for their first winning season since 2014, when they went 14-3 and won the 4A Region 6 title.
“Honestly, I would say just, like, the leadership that we have. Like, last year it was good, but I feel like this year there’s more focus into how we actually play. If something isn’t going right, we’ll try and fix it instead of just like passing it over,” Henley said.
“I think just the fact that they’ve got a taste of winning, now they really want it and they’re showing a lot of heart,” Parke said.
There’s still a ways to go in terms of the Falcons reaching their best level and in terms of the season. They have eight region games left in what is a tightly contested region.
Behind Clearfield at 5-1 are Northridge and Box Elder at 4-2, Bountiful at 3-2, Woods Cross at 3-3, then Roy and Bonneville at 2-4. Roy’s region wins are against Box Elder and Bountiful, underscoring the region’s parity.
“Like I keep telling them, it’s not gonna be all rainbows and unicorns. We’re gonna have rough spots. So if we can live through the rough spots and get back to good times even though we’ve had a few bad times, I think we’ll be good,” Parke said.
If Clearfield’s situation of fielding an experienced and talented team in the year it moves into a more competitive region isn’t a perfect storm, it’s at least close to it.
Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.