Girls soccer: Change in goal helps Syracuse upend Davis, hope for late run
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- Syracuse High’s Jocee Eddy (6), Talia Thompson (8) and Hannah NeVille (21) celebrate during a Region 1 soccer game against Davis on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis High’s Courtney Burbidge (7) heads the ball in front of Syracuse’s Bailyr Manning (31) during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Carlie Hobbs lays into a boot during a Region 1 soccer game against Davis on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Sophie Rhoades (4) mixes it up between Davis players Kate Willard, upper left, Lillian Lever (30) and Courtney Burbidge (7) during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis High’s Jane Taylor (19) and Syracuse’s Talia Thompson (8) watch the ball arrive during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Reagan Teague gets low for a ball controlled by a Davis player during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis High’s Marley Francis pushes the ball upfield during a Region 1 soccer game against Syracuse on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Sophie Martin (15) tries to avoid Davis player Kate Willard (3) during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Hannah NeVille, left, and Sophie Rhoades (4) trie to advance the ball past Davis High’s Avery Johnson during a Region 1 soccer game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Jocee Eddy tracks the ball during a Region 1 soccer game against Davis on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Syracuse High’s Hannah NeVille, right, embraces teammate Jocee Eddy during a Region 1 soccer game against Davis on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Syracuse. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
SYRACUSE — There was something old and something new in Syracuse’s 1-0 victory over Davis on Thursday afternoon.
Senior captain Talia Thompson scored the only goal of the Region 1 girls soccer match, and junior goalie Brianna Brown kept a clean sheet in only her second game as a keeper.
Thompson tallied the goal in the 57th minute and said it was comparable to the goal she scored in the 6A state final against Lone Peak last October.
“It’s a different moment, but scoring this goal is awesome. Putting this game away was a super cool experience as well,” Thompson said. “I played the ball to Jocee (Eddy) and she gave it back to me. I was able to take a little cut and had all the time in the world to see where the keeper moved and place it.”
Eddy was also on that state title team, so the two veterans combined like they had done so before, and Thompson converted from the left side with her left foot.
“Me and Jocee pass really well together. I’ve been playing this game for a long time, so being able to play with both feet, I think I’ve kind of figured it out,” Thompson said.
Thompson said playing a big rival like Davis brings a similar amount of pressure as a state tournament game does.
“When we show up for Davis, every single game is kind of dirty … a lot of pressure; the feeling is a lot like state,” Thompson said. “A lot of our key players have played with a lot of their key players. They’re a very dangerous team and I think we’re as dangerous. It just makes for a very competitive game.”
Syracuse (9-7, 3-3 Region 1) has been on the winning side the last five times the teams have met, and each win was by a single goal.
“We love beating Davis. We lost to them in my freshman and sophomore year, but have turned the culture around,” Thompson said. “Last year, we started loving each other and playing for each other. Winning state added to our team culture. Finally, this year we’re back to that.”
Barely above .500 this season, Thompson feels the Titans are getting ready for a push as the state tournament approaches.
“We haven’t had the best season so far; this is us coming out and showing that teams need to be scared of us,” Thompson said. “We’re going to go and show up in the tournament and are going to be a threat this year. It’s taken a minute to adjust, but I think we’re getting there.
“We’re a different team this year. We’ve had a lot of difficult challenges. We lost a lot of our starters from last year and so we had to adjust to different scorers and different lineups,” Thompson said.
One major lineup change happened two games ago against Farmington when Syracuse coach Jason Steiner changed to Brown in goal after back-to-back losses to Weber and Layton.
The Titans shut out Farmington, so Brown has not allowed a goal in either of her varsity starts in front of the net.
“(Steiner) was a little frustrated and decided to change it up and try something new,” Brown said. “He heard I had played a little bit of keeper and wanted to see how I did. I played a JV game at keeper, and here I am.”
At forward and outside back, Brown notched a goal in Syracuse’s 3-2 win over Davis three weeks ago, but Thursday she kept the Darts off the board at her new position. Some penalty-kick luck aside, Brown didn’t have to work too hard as her defense kept the Darts away from danger most of the afternoon.
“They did a really good job keeping a high line so they weren’t sprinting in my face,” Brown said. “Our centerbacks, Sophie Martin and Carlie Hobbs, marked their key forwards; I have a lot of trust in them.”
Davis (10-3, 2-3) only had two really good chances to score, but Kate Willard banged a penalty kick off the crossbar, and Courtney Burbidge bounced a free kick off Brown’s chest from midfield.
“We missed a penalty and had a few off the post. I thought we had enough chances to make it a game,” Davis coach Dillon Richins said. “The best teams put their chances away. I think this team’s good enough to do that. I hope we continue to progress into the team we want to be in the next few weeks.”
Syracuse also had few shots on goal, in contrast to some earlier games this season.
“We’ve had games where we’ve outshot teams crazy, like 25-5, and didn’t bury them. I’m really happy we were able to do it today,” Thompson said. “As a captain this year, I’m playing center forward and have felt the added pressure to score. That’s my job.”
Bob Judson has been covering high school sports for the Standard-Examiner for 51 years.
