Below is a brief preview of area boys soccer teams in Region 13, plus outlooks for other Northern Utah regions.

REGION 13

Ogden and Morgan are the favorites in Region 13.

Ogden went 12-4 last year, 8-2 in Region 13 and lost to Judge Memorial in the state quarterfinals. The Tigers lost their two top scorers, a top defender, goalkeeper and have just five seniors for the 2023 campaign. Their seniors are all key players, according to coach Todd Scott.

Adam Wilson led the team in assists last season and plays multiple positions. Right back Boston Rodriguez and winger Brigham Aardema are four-year starters, and attacking midfielder Ty Robinson returns to the team after playing semi-pro soccer last year for the Park City Red Wolves.

Ogden also returns junior defender Lincoln Barnes and sophomore midfielder Luis Velasco. The team also has three sets of siblings, where one brother is a senior and the other is a freshman.

Scott said the team’s weakness is inexperience, but the team’s youth is also a strong point.

“Strength is our young players. Most of my young players play on the same comp teams, so they already have great chemistry. Plus, my freshman players are legit high school players,” Scott said.

Morgan went 12-6 last season, 7-3 in Region 13 and lost to RSL Academy in the state semifinals. RSL has since moved up to 6A.

The Trojans return nearly a dozen starters or key players from that team, including seniors Cameron Burt (midfield), Ty Warner (forward), Rory Williams (forward), Tyson Adams (midfield), Owen Tolman (midfield), Carter Hale (midfield) and Braden Howe (goalkeeper), plus juniors Jett Beckstrom (forward), Garrett Grow (defender) and Beau Johnson (forward).

Morgan has a deep and experienced team with new faces mostly along the back line but, through the first six games of this season, Morgan allowed just four goals.

“Solidify defense and avoid mistakes in the back. Play simple, be task-oriented and trust teammates,” Wallace said of his team’s focus.

Morgan and Ogden are scheduled to play at Morgan on Thursday, March 30, and at Ogden on Tuesday, April 25.

Ben Lomond had a 4-12 record last year and lost to Layton Christian in the playoffs. The Scots lost a few seniors but had plenty of juniors and sophomores start or score goals.

As of Thursday morning, the Scots were 2-3 with both wins coming against 3A schools Union (7-0) and Grantsville (3-1).

The two Ben Lomond-Ogden games are scheduled at Ogden on Tuesday, March 28, and at Ben Lomond on Thursday, April 20, both at 5:30 p.m. Additional information wasn’t provided about this year’s BL team.

The region has five teams this season after Layton Christian moved up to 4A.

LCA won both the Region 13 and 3A state titles last season. The Eagles are currently 6-0 (4-0 against 4A schools) with a 22-1 goal differential.

Layton Christian returns senior midfielder Matheus Baptista, senior forward Isaac Cubero, senior defender Joao Castro, junior forward Felipe Rocha, junior midfielder Davi Paulino and junior keeper Inigo Castro.

Junior Fred Wittler leads LCA with six goals so far. Theo Villela has five assists.

NORTHERN UTAH NOTES

Bonneville, Northridge and Viewmont all had a 6-4 region record in 2022 and split the Region 5 title three ways. It was Northridge’s first boys soccer region championship in school history.

Because of the parity, all the Region 5 teams were double-digit playoff seeds and none advanced past the second round of last year’s state tournament. Region 5 games are scheduled to begin next week. Additional information about this year’s Region 5 teams wasn’t provided by those schools.

In 2A, St. Joseph won the 2A North region, beat Rowland Hall twice and then lost to the Winged Lions in the state championship game last season

The Jayhawks were a young team a season ago but graduated influential and experienced players in the midfield and defense. One can expect St. Joseph to compete with Waterford and Rowland Hall for the region championship. Additional information about SJC’s 2023 team wasn’t provided.

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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