The No. 13 Emery Spartans followed a trend of upsets in the second round of the 3A State Championship Tournament as they defeated No. 4 Grand 1-0 Wednesday afternoon in Moab.

Emery head coach Troy Winter preached defense and control in the days leading up to Wednesday’s matchup. His team stuck to the game plan and stifled a potent Red Devils offense that average over three goals per game throughout the season.

Alex Noriega broke a scoreless tie in the first half as he found the back of the net to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. The go-ahead goal was all Emery needed as the defense remained in control, giving Grand just its second loss of the season.

Koalton Curtis was responsible for the shutout at goalie as Emery held an opponent scoreless for the fourth time this season.

Grand entered the 3A State Tournament as Region 12 champions. The Red Devils outscored its opponents 43-1 en route to a 10-0 record, including two wins over the Spartans.

Emery’s win over Grand was one of four upsets in Wednesday’s wild second round. No. 14 Summit Academy defeated No. 3 Manti 1-0 in perhaps the most surprising finish of the day. No. 12 Richfield earned a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Grantsville and No. 10 Juab topped No. 7 Carbon in a shootout thriller.

Wednesday’s shocking results sets up a third meeting between Emery and Richfield in the quarterfinals on May 12. The Wildcats will host yjr game, being the higher seed at No. 12. The two teams split the season series with Emery winning the most recent contest 2-0 back on April 13.