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Ben Lomond's Jovanni Cervantes launches a penalty kick versus Juan Diego Catholic during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond's Amir Odeh battles Juan Diego Catholic's Kolin Rassmussen for possession during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond's Luka Banda fires the ball versus Juan Diego Catholic during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond coach Paul Baltazar instructs his team at halftime during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond's Kevin Nuci dribbles through traffic versus Juan Diego Catholic during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Left to right: Ben Lomond's Amir Odeh (6), Ethan Gonzalez (2), Jovanni Cervantes (8), and Luka Banda (10) celebrate a goal versus Juan Diego Catholic during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond's Robben Ferrufino dribbles past a Juan Diego defender during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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Ben Lomond coach Paul Baltazar directs from the sideline during the second round of the 3A boys soccer state championship on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Ogden.

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OGDEN — Ben Lomond’s Jovanni Cervantes likely didn’t wake up expecting three penalty shots, but the senior switch player finished 2 for 3 on such opportunities Wednesday, leading the No. 5 Scots over No. 12 Juan Diego Catholic 4-1 and into the 3A state quarterfinals.

Ben Lomond (9-4) moves on to Cedar City for the quarterfinals vs. No. 4 Canyon View, fresh off a 2-1 win over No. 13 Delta in the second round. The winner joins a field of four for the semifinals Thursday, May 8, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.

Bouncing back from a 0-1 deficit, BL shot ahead 2-1 late in the first half on a Kevin Nuci close-range goal with 12 minutes to go, then the first of Cervantes’ two goals with little more than 5 minutes before halftime. Juan Diego (6-11) struck first via Daniel Keegan 14 minutes into the first half, but struggled to find proper looks the rest of the afternoon.

Cervantes, building upon BL’s short lead after a largely quiet start to the second half, took and scored a second penalty kick against Juan Diego’s Gabriel Vargas for a 3-1 Scots lead with 14 minutes remaining in the match.

“I was just feeling it,” Cervantes said. “I put it right there in the corner, right where I wanted it.”

A second-half defensive clinic, as well as two close opportunities by Amir Odeh and Luka Banda, kept BL running clean in the waning minutes with a two-goal cushion.

After giving up an early goal, Scots goalkeeper Oscar Castro-Moreno recorded a potentially game-saving stop against Eryk Alvord with 12 minutes to go. Highlighting his man in the net, Ben Lomond coach Paul Baltazar said big-time plays are just part of the memo for his senior captain.

“Being a senior, he’s taken on that leadership role and being one of the captains, that’s something I expect from him,” Baltazar said. “Is it new, no, but (do) I know he’s capable of that? Absolutely. He’s an absolute stud of a guy and I’m lucky to have him.”

Cervantes missed a hat trick by missing his third penalty kick with 5:26 remaining. Odeh, assisted by Banda, added BL’s fourth goal less than one minute later. A voice inside the back line and midfield, Cervantes said everybody filled their assignments Wednesday.

“We were talking to our midfield and (they) were holding them right where we wanted them,” Cervantes said. “Honestly, every time we recover the ball, we just keep the ball for more than half the game. … It’s (taken) a lot of team bonding, a lot of team chemistry.

“We worked our butts off at practice, we communicate, we try everything we can to do stuff together.”

Baltazar shared Cervantes’ perspective, expanding on how the Scots, winning five consecutive matches since a 1-0 loss at Ogden, steadied themselves late in the regular season by covering every detail, big and small, when they step on the pitch.

“It all boils down to communication,” Baltazar said. “If there’s no communication, no discipline on transitions, it’s difficult to be able to come back and make sure that we cover our areas. I think we have a good possibility of shutting down a lot of teams, but again it could change at any time. As long as we’re at peak performance, I feel like we’re a solid unit.”

Saturday’s BL-Canyon View quarterfinal match is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Cedar City.

OGDEN 8, EMERY 0

Firing early, No. 1 Ogden High stacked seven goals before halftime en route to an 8-0 shutout over No. 17 Emery in the second round of the 3A state tourney on Wednesday.

Jace Rodriguez delivered a hat trick on three separate assists by Luis Velasco. Ogden (16-0) meets No. 9 Judge Memorial Catholic (9-4) in the quarterfinals Saturday in Ogden.

Velasco and Gerardo Esquivel each scored twice for the Tigers, with Grant Aardema adding another goal with an assist by Velasco. Wednesday marked Ogden goalkeeper Xavier Peregrina’s 10th shutout of the season.

MORGAN 8, SOUTH SUMMIT 0

Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.