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Davis High's Avery Johnson (middle, 18) cuts around West Field's Sadie Wiseman (right, 24) during a non-region match on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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Left to right: Davis High's Kate Willard, West Field's Sadie Wiseman stop short of West Field goalkeeper Harlie Slaughter during a non-region match on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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West Field's Julia Robbins steers toward the goal during a non-region match vs. Davis on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Kate Willard (left, 3) and West Field's Marley Cloward battle for possession during a non-region match on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Lydia Neville passes to a teammate during a non-region match vs. West Field on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Samantha Maudsley (left, 21closes in on West Field's Hadlee Gorder (right, 5)

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Davis High meets along the sideline during a non-region match vs. West Field on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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West Field's Sadie Wiseman (24) dribbles ahead during a non-region vs. Davis match on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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West Field's Hadlee Gorder (6) takes off after Davis High's Reial Phongsavath (9) during a non-region match on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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West Field gathers along the sideline during a non-region match vs. Davis on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, at Angel Street Soccer Complex in Kaysville.

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KAYSVILLE — Kate Willard lit the match, and Davis High set the second half of Thursday’s non-regional match with West Field ablaze at Angel Street Soccer Complex.

Breaking 35 minutes of silence, Willards gave the Darts a 1-0 lead shortly before halftime, and four more goals soon followed to begin the second half. Davis cruised to a 5-0 shutout over the Longhorns to improve to 2-0 with a second consecutive shutout to begin the season.

Willard bumped her season goal total to four with two goals and two assists on Thursday, spacing her second between goals by junior Vivian Fries and Samantha Maudsley, scored during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Second-year Davis coach Dillon Richens considered the first half, even with Willard netting the match’s first goal, a letdown of sorts coming off a 5-0 shutout Tuesday at Skyline, when all five Davis goals came in the first half. For much of the first half, West Field went toe-to-toe with the defending 6A state runner-ups.

“We walked off the field and I think we were disappointed,” Richens said of the first half. “It feels like (West Field) had a little bit of momentum or a little bit of encouragement, right? Credit to them for putting us in that headspace of uncomfortability.”

West Field took a barrage of shots by Davis in the first half, and, to her credit, sophomore goalkeeper Harlie Slaughter denied 35 minutes’ worth of strong looks throughout the first half. The Longhorns also had their share of opportunities, including a near-goal by Pressly Weekes, coming earlier when the first-half score remained nil.

But Fries broke through West Field’s scheme early into the second half, and things spiraled over the next 20 minutes as Slaughter had allowed five goals when the dust settled. Rising off the defensive end, Davis junior Ellie Stowers added that fifth goal with 22 minutes still to go.

“I think one goal changed our confidence, and you saw that first second-half goal changed the entire game,” West Field head coach Cade Miller said. “Davis is really good. Good’s teams are gonna pressure; our girls got to learn some grit. I thought we, at moments, showed some of that, especially in the last 20 (minutes). We’ve just got to keep grinding and doing the little things that we do.”

Also in his second season, Miller and his coaching staff find themselves in a precarious spot, beginning the season with back-to-back losses by four or more goals. Of the 23 returners to Miller’s program, only two entered the season with varsity experience.

The jump to Region 5 is another wrinkle for the Longhorns, adding another program to the area region mixture this fall.

The non-region slate for Davis bleeds into the weekend as Richens and crew host Olympus Saturday for an early-bird match at 9 a.m. West Field returns to action Monday at home against Viewmont, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m.

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