Boys soccer: With heads up, Morrison and West Field ready to challenge region
Forward's golden goal puts Longhorns over Ben Lomond in OT
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- West Field’s Ezra Morrison settles the ball in front of the Ben Lomond defense during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Jared Velazquez steers away from the West Field defense during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- West Field’s Kaleb Rodriguez looks for a whistle during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Izaiah Franco, left, steers around West Field’s Jaime Ramirez, right, during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s George Solis and West Field’s Kaleb Rodriguez, right, battle for possession of the ball during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- West Field goalkeeper Ethan Nelson, left, and Bracken Stevenson get set for a Ben Lomond corner kick during a nonregion boys soccer contest on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s George Solis run downfield during a nonregion boys soccer contest against West Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Daniel Avila, left, and Adriel Vasquez, right, celebrate a goal scored against West Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Jared Velazquez walks downfield during a stoppage during a nonregion boys soccer contest against West Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond’s Izaiah Franco rubs his neck during a stoppage in play during a nonregion boys soccer contest against West Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Ben Lomond gathers before a nonregion boys soccer contest against West Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
OGDEN — The expression “use your head” can be applied to many sports, if not all of them.
For a while, West Field senior forward Ezra Morrison neglected the use of his forehead following a concussion he suffered in his younger days. Now, he’s keeping it held high and making sure others do the same.
Morrison put his head to use for West Field’s golden goal to defeat Weber County neighbor Ben Lomond 3-2 in overtime Wednesday, helping the Longhorns end a two-game losing skid.
Fellow senior and West Field defender Jaden Fowers set up the goal with a well-placed look from the corner and Morrison, who’d already given West Field a 2-1 lead with 12 minutes left in regulation, came through with the prettier of his two goals.
“That’s, mentally, a good sign that they’ll do well moving forward,” West Field coach Jason Grunander said.
After a scoreless first half, Ben Lomond (1-2) seized the lead five minutes back onto the pitch when senior Daniel Avila, assisted by fellow senior Kevin Nuci, slipped the match’s first goal by goalkeeper Ethan Nelson.
Morrison answered 17 minutes later, and senior midfielder Jackson Roche, assisted by fellow senior midfielder Jaime Ramirez, bumped West Field (2-2) ahead by a goal with just less than 13 minutes left.
Under pressure, Nuci pounced on a window opened by West Field junior back Bracken Stevenson to retie the knot with 3:45 to go. The Scots have forced extra time in consecutive matches following a 1-0 loss to Weber High in penalty kicks in last week’s home opener.
“Their midfield, they’re really good on the ball,” Grunander said of BL. “They’re quick; trying to stay with them is a challenge, for sure.”
In overtime, a corner kick with 7:18 left in the first extra period favored the Longhorns with the Fowers-Morrison connection, and became an answer to a rough opening stretch that narrowly avoided becoming a third straight loss for West Field.
It’s Year 2 for Morrison and the Longhorns, featuring eight total seniors save for a recovering Daxton Laughter, as Grunander and company aim for new heights following a 2-15 finish to their inaugural season.
The experience has been especially positive for Morrison, adopted by a Utah family and moving to the states as an 8-year-old, who opted for the new school over his former high school, Fremont, to finish his final two years of prep soccer.
“It’s about just lifting each other up,” Morrison said. “After two losses in a row, most of us were like, head down. We made sure we lifted each other up. We’ve gotta keep going, one game at a time and stay focused.”
He continued:
“We’re just new in the neighborhood,” Morrison said. “I was with Fremont with a great team and I chose to be here. There was a lot of ups and downs, a lot of struggles but I’ve just gotta keep my head up, keep pushing my boys up and just push them work harder.”
Morrison, up to three goals now through four matches, is a key piece of what Grunander and West Field are trying to improve upon with this second season: creating chances, whether they’re pretty or not.
“Ezra had a really good first half,” Grunander said. “We hit our wings, they had some good balls in there. There was just a lot of heart; like, our first goal wasn’t necessarily pretty, but it was just determination that (Morrison) wanted the ball to go in the back of the net. And then the second goal was pretty, so it’s kind of nice to have both.”
Much of West Field’s roster has just one year of varsity experience to their names — almost all of it from that first two-win campaign.
But it’s those underclassmen who have driven senior captains Ramirez, Roche and Kash Bishop to become the formidable leaders West Field needs to grow the program and start competing at a high level.
Morrison agrees, and even considers the opportunity to foster and teach those greener ranks as his link to the game itself.
“The younger boys, a lot of credit to them,” Morrison said. “I’m not going to lie; moving here, moving to a new school and stuff, I thought about quitting and stuff, but the younger boys just look up to me a lot. They’re encouraging me to keep my head up and that’s why I say it’s about a family, about encouragement, (and) loving each other.”
West Field goes directly to 4-0 Weber High for a back-to-back Thursday in Pleasant View. Weber opened the season with a 4-2 home win over 3A Morgan.
But with a two-game slide erased from West Field’s recent memory, it’s a golden opportunity for Grunander’s crew to take the next step against a hot 6A opponent on their home pitch.
“They’ve got a little more under their belt, so they’re picking it up and doing well,” Grunander said.
The Scots catch a one-day break before hosting Fremont on Friday.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
