It’s interesting to see how last year’s champs are faring now that the new season is underway.

One thing has remained constant for both teams: Alexis King is in her third year as coach of the Tigers, while Jason Steiner, also in his third season, mentors the Titans.

Ogden brings back a solid core from its 17-2 team last year, while goalkeeper Erin Bott and forward Taylee Hughes have graduated from 19-3 Syracuse.

First, the Tigers, who are 3-3 to open this season.

Earlier this month, Ogden lost its first game in nearly a year, falling 2-0 to West Field. The Tigers lost two games in 2025, then won 14 straight on the way to their championship.

Their second loss came Monday, a 5-1 road defeat at 6A Farmington.

Quoting King from last year, she said: “I don’t necessarily see those games as losses, more like lessons to be learned … continue to grow and play as a team.”

A 4-0 loss to Green Canyon is also on the books; Ogden’s defense seems to be lacking.

Sophomore keeper Whitney Fife is back in the net for the Tigers, but if the defense in front of her isn’t doing its job, bad things happen.

Last year, Fife averaged 5.6 saves per game and that number has jumped to 7.5 this year (through five games), which indicates she has been under attack.

On offense, Ogden has scored eight goals total through the six games. Elle Weston, who scored 42 goals in a record-breaking season last year, has two this season.

There is still plenty of season to go, and the end results are all that matters, but the Tigers are struggling out of the gate, comparatively. (Good news for its defense, though, came Thursday in a 3-0 blanking of Carbon.)

On the Syracuse side of the ledger, the Titans lost 5-0 to Green Canyon to open the season, serving as an early wake-up call. That perhaps sheds new light on Ogden’s loss to Green Canyon, too.

Syracuse bounced back with two wins in which Jocee Eddy scored six goals.

Eddy has 10 goals so far, and Syracuse has opened the season 4-2 entering Friday. Hughes led 6A in scoring with 26 goals last year, so Eddy is off to a heady start.

Junior goalie Whitney Cella doesn’t have a shutout this year (Bott had four last year), but hasn’t allowed more than two in a game since the Green Canyon debacle.

She has an average of 1.5 saves per game, saying that the Syracuse defense in front of her hasn’t allowed many shots on goal.

Most teams see the start of region play as a chance to reset, but that is still a couple weeks away.

Winning region would always be a team goal but, now that seeding for the state tournament is done RPI, if the teams Ogden and Syracuse have lost to turn out to be good, they could still end up with a high ranking.

Playing well and playing in the final game of the year is the ultimate goal.

Steiner posted on social media last year: “Enjoy the ride, it’s going to be special because of you.”

Can it be special again this season? Both teams hope so.

Inside the Lines covers Northern Utah high school sports through the eyes of 50-year sportswriting veteran Bob Judson, who is a resident of Layton.