The Emery Spartan soccer squad finished the season with a 7-6 overall record which included a 6-2 Region 12 mark tying them with Carbon for the conference title, losing only to the Dinos and Richfield. Earning the No. 9 spot in the final RPI of the season and making it to the second round which ended in a loss to Judge Memorial.
With quiet a few seniors on the 2023 squad, the Spartans will look to rebuild next season with plenty of returning talent as the foundation for the 2024 team.
Below is a recap of all Spartan soccer matches from the season.
March 9-11 St. George Tournament- 0-2
The Spartans soccer season got underway in St. George on Thursday, in a rematch of their second round contest with the Morgan Trojans from the 2022 3A State Championships. The Trojans came out the aggressors putting up three goals in the first half and four in the second, all while holding the Spartans to a single goal taking the 7-1 win.
Emery finished last season with an 8-7 overall record which included a 5-3 Region 12 mark. Entering the post season in the No.11 spot the made it through their opening round match against No. 22 Union, 2-1, advancing them to a second round meeting with No. 6 Morgan, falling 7-0.
Morgan, on the other hand finished with a 12-6 overall mark going 7-3 in Region 13 play. Their playoff journey began by going through Emery and then taking care of Juab by a score of 4-1 in the quarters. Moving into the semi-finals they would take on eventual 3A runner-up Real Salt Lake Academy, falling 3-1.
The game in St. George would go almost the same way as the contest last year, as Morgan took a 3-1 lead into halftime. Oumar Diarra would score the lone goal for the Spartans in the first half.
The Trojans came out in the second half and shut down the Spartans holding the without a goal in the final half.
The Spartans will spend the weekend in St. George with games scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
March 17- Delta- Loss- 2-1
The Spartans soccer club is still searching for that first win. Sitting at 0-2 they welcomed the Delta Rabbits to town last Friday, the Spartans drew first blood, but the second half was all about Delta, as they scored a pair of goals, handing the Spartans a 2-1 loss.
The Spartans began the season by traveling to St. George for tournament play. Taking part in two contests in as many days the Spartans fell to Morgan and Skyview. Last Thursday, they were scheduled to open Region 12 play on the road in Cedar City to face Canyon View, but due to weather, that game will need to be rescheduled.
The game with Delta started out with the Spartans coming out and finding the back of the net early in the first half, as Emery took the 1-0 lead into the locker room.
The Rabbits came out in half two, tying up the score and then taking the lead. Delta would not allow the Spartans to find the back of the net in the second half. holding on to the 2-0 lead.
The Spartans sit at 0-3 and are looking to get one in the win column on Tuesday, when they welcome the Carbon Dinos to Castle Dale. Last season when these two met, the Spartans handed the Dinos their only region loss, 3-0 in Castle Dale.
The contest between the two is set for 4 p.m. in Castle Dale.
March 21- Carbon- Win- 1-1 (7-6)
Emery High School goalkeeper Koalton Curtis came up with a game saving stop on the seventh penalty kick to secure a thrilling 7-6 win for the Emery Spartans over the Carbon Dinos Tuesday afternoon in Castle Dale.
Meeting for the first time this season, the Spartans and Dinos delivered a regular season classic that could not be decided in the first 100 minutes of play. Still locked in a tie after the first five slotted kicks, the Spartans managed to get the stop on kick seven to earn the hard fought win.
Tied 0-0 at the break, the Dinos found the back of the net first as Thijs Bertens scored early in the second half. Emery’s Carson Childs tied the game late in regulation off a corner kick.
The game remained locked at 1-1 following two 10 minute overtime periods, setting the stage for the dramatic ending on penalty kicks.
Tuesday’s setback is the first of the league slate for the Dinos, who opened Region 12 play with wins over Canyon View and Richfield. The Dinos have been elite defensively in three league games, allowing just two goals throughout regulation.
The win for Emery is the first this season after starting the new campaign 0-3 with all three losses coming out of region. The first league game for the Spartans was scheduled for last Thursday against Canyon View, but the game was postponed due to the weather.
Carbon will take the rest of the week off before returning to the field Tuesday, March 28 against the Canyon View Falcons. The Spartans will next travel to Moab to meet the Grand Red Devils Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
March 23- Grand- Win- 3-1
Coming off a thrilling win over Carbon on a snowy Tuesday, the Spartan soccer team traveled to Moab to face the Grand County Red Devils Thursday. Using a big second half Emery earned their second straight region win, 3-1.
In the snow on Tuesday Carbon and Emery had to take it to penalty kicks with the Spartans coming out on top 7-6. The win was the first of the season, but we are just at the beginning and there is still a lot of soccer to be played before the opening round of the state tournament at the end of April.
The game in Castle Dale last season came down to penalty kicks with Emery taking the 3-2 win, and this game was played just as closely as that contest. On Thursday, Emery and Grand played to a 1-1 tie going into the locker room at the half.
In the second half, Emery came out ready to take charge as they found the back of the net twice while holding the Red Devils scoreless in the half.
Rhett Winter, Ridic Potter and Randy Elmer all scored for the Spartans in the victory.
Emery sits at 2-3 after starting the season 0-3 and are now headed into region play.
They will be back on the pitch on Tuesday in Richfield to face the Wildcats.
Thursday they welcome Canyon View to Castle Dale. The first meeting in Cedar City was cancelled due to weather conditions.
Game time for the game with Canyon View is set for 4 p.m..
March 28- Richfield- Win- 2-0
Emery soccer entered the game on Tuesday against the Richfield Wildcats coming off two straight region wins and were looking for three in a row. Finding the back of the net in each half, plus pitching a shutout, the Spartans notched their third region win 2-0 over the Wildcats on the road.
Emery handed Grand a 3-1 loss last Thursday, and then two days before that it was a thrilling penalty kick win over Carbon in Castle Dale. Emery sits at 3-3 this season with the three losses coming at the hands of Morgan, Sky View and Delta. The Spartans are a perfect 3-0 in Region 12 play.
The Spartans came out playing tough on both sides of the ball finding the back of the net once in the first half and went into the locker room up 1-0.
The second half was a repeat of the first, with Emery getting another past the Wildcat goalie earning the 2-0 win,
Chase Huggard scored a goal, his first of the season and Randy Elmer scored his third goal this year in the win. Koalton Curtis, earned his first shutout this season as well.
The Spartans will be back in Castle Dale on Thursday to face another Region 12 opponent in Canyon View. Canyon View is coming off a 2-0 loss to Carbon at home.
Game time is set for 4 p.m..
March 30- Canyon View- Win- 2-1
The Emery Spartan soccer squad jumped to 4-0 in Region 12 play on Thursday when they welcomed the Canyon View Falcons to Castle Dale. After a scoreless first half the Spartans found the back of the net twice to take a 2-1 win.
Emery sits at 4-3 overall and currently sits in first place in region with a perfect 4-0 record at the halfway point of the season.
The first half was all about defense as neither team could score on the other, going into the locker rooms at half time with 0-0 on the scoreboard.
Coming out in the second half both teams would find a way to break the stalemate with the Falcons finding the back of the net once. The Spartans took the lid off of their goal as well putting two into the back of the net and taking the 2-1 win.
Carter Huntington and Randy Elmer both scored for the Spartans in the league win.
Emery now will enter the long Spring Break vacation with just a handful of games remaining before we start tournament play.
They will be back on the field on April 11, when they welcome the Grand Red Devils to Castle Dale. Game time is set for 4 p.m..
Then on April 13, they travel to Price to face the Dinos in what might be a region championship game. Game time there is also set for 4.
April 11- Grand- Win- 2-0
The Emery Spartans remain unbeaten in division play after finishing a season series sweep of the Grand Red Devils Tuesday afternoon at home.
Entering with a league mark of 4-0, the Spartans again used a heavy dose of defense as they captured a 1-0 lead heading into the break. After adding another goal the defense continued to soar to help preserve the 2-0 win.
Chase Huggard and Randy Elmer both scored one goal to lift the Emery offense. Goalie Koalton Curtis was again flawless as he notched another shutout.
Emery’s defensive unit has proven to be one of the elite groups in the 3A classification, allowing just three regulation goals in five region games. Recording two shutouts during that span, no team has scored more than one goal on the Spartans in regulation.
Tuesday’s win sets the stage for a monumental division showdown on the road against the Carbon Dinos. The two teams sit alone at the top of the Region 12 standings, with Carbon’s lone loss coming against Emery by penalty kicks back on March 21. Down to the final three games of the season for Emery, a win would clinch the division title.
Thursday’s contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
April 13- Carbon- Loss- 2-0
The last time Carbon and Emery met on the soccer field, it all came down to penalty kicks with the Spartans walking away the winner handing the Dinos their first region loss. On Thursday in Price, the two hooked up once again with Carbon returning the favor handing the Spartans their first loss in Region 12 play, 2-0.
With the win, Carbon ties Emery in the loss column, as they each have one. The Dinos are 6-2 with a 6-1 region mark and have two game remaining, but only one is a region game. Tuesday they will travel to Moab to face Grand. The Spartans have three games to go, including two division contests against Richfield on Friday, they will also have to travel to Cedar City to face Canyon View in a game that was scheduled for March but had to be rescheduled due to weather, that game will be played on Tuesday, April 25.
The game last Thursday wasn’t as dramatic as the first meeting, with the Dinos scoring a goal in the first and another in the second. Offensively, the Spartans had no answer and were held off the scoreboard by Dylan Curtis, who notched his third shutout this season fore the Dinos.
Sam Dart and Luke Brady, both found the back of the net for the Dinos, Brady and Parker Morgan each earned an assist in the win.
Emery will face North Sanpete in a non-region tilt on Tuesday on the road. They will then welcome Richfield to Castle Dale on Friday for the first of the final two games of the season, in March, the Spartans handed Richfield a 2-0 loss on the road.
Carbon travels to Moab to face Grand on Tuesday in their final region contest on Tuesday. In the first meeting with the Red Devils, the Dinos took a 3-1 victory.
If both teams win their remaining region contest they will be co-champions for Region 12.
April 18- North Sanpete- Win- 1-0
It’s pretty simple for the Spartans, keep winning games and hope for a Carbon loss and the Region 12 title is yours. Well on Tuesday both of those came true, the Dinos fell in their region match-up with Grand and Emery earned a 1-0 win over North Sanpete on the road.
Emery is sitting at 6-4 overall with a 5-1 mark in region play, with the Carbon loss, the Dinos sit at 6-2 and have completed the region portion of the schedule. Emery still has two games left in region against Richfield and Canyon View.
Emery and North Sanpete played to a 0-0 score at the half, as neither team could find the back of the net. In the second half, Carter Huntington put one between the pipes to put the Spartans on the board. Koalton Curtis would earn his third shutout of the season to hold on for the Emery win.
Emery holds the No. 9 spot in the Utah High School Activities Association’s RPI rankings, and it will be updated after every game, with the final placement being used for seeding in the 3A State Championships.
The Spartans get back to it when they will face Richfield (5-7, 2-5, No.14) on Friday in Castle Dale when they will celebrate this year’s seniors, under the lights at 7 p.m.. Their first meeting was a Spartan victory, 2-0.
April 21- Richfield- Loss- 1-0 (OT)
The Spartans’s path to a region championship was clear, win out and collect the crown. On Friday was their first challenge, a home meeting under the lights for Senior Night against Richfield. Emery would fall 1-0 in a tightly contested match that ended in overtime.
Most soccer contests happen in the afternoon, but for Senior Night, the Spartans and the Wildcats would meet under the lights in Castle Dale.
Both teams had a hard time finding any offense, going into the locker room at halftime tied at 0-0. The second half was truly more of the same as the pair went into the overtime period with the Wildcats finding the back of the net taking the 1-0 win.
Emery now holds an overall mark of 6-5 with a region mark of 5-2. A win in their final contest with Canyon View would give them a share of the league title with the Carbon Dinos, a loss and the Dinos will own it outright.
Emery will face the Canyon View Falcons on Tuesday in Cedar City. The last time the pair met up Emery took a 2-1 in Castle Dale on March 30.
After the game, on Wednesday the 26th, the final RPI and bracket will be revealed for the 3A State Championships, which will begin Friday the 28th at home sites. The plahyoffs will continue until the new 3A Champion is crowned on May 12th at America First Field.
April 25- Canyon View- Win- 1-0 (OT)
Emery Spartan soccer closed out the regular season on Tuesday in Cedar City when they faced the Canyon View Falcons. The Spartans were able to find the back of the net only once, but that would prove to be enough, and they earned the 1-0 win.
The Spartans were looking for a win in their final region meeting so that they could keep pace with Carbon and claim a share of the Region 12 title.
The first half of the contest was a defensive battle as neither team could find the back of the net going into the locker room tied at 0-0. In the second half, Randy Elmer scored the only goal that would be necessary with Koalton Curtis in goal for the Spartans earning his fourth shutout of the season.
Emery finished the regular season 7-5 overall and earned a 6-2 region mark tying Carbon for the Region 12 title.
Wednesday morning the Utah High School Activities Association released the final RPI rankings for 3A, and the Spartans landed in the No.9 spot. Ogden earned the No.1 spot, followed by Juan Diego at No. 2. Manti, Morgan and Carbon rounded out the top five.
Finishing the season in the No.9 spot means that the Spartans will get a first round bye and in the second round they will face the No.8 team the Judge Memorial Bulldogs on their home field in Salt Lake on Wednesday May, 3 at 4 p.m..
State Playoffs
First Round – Bye
Second Round- Judge Memorial- Loss- 5-0
The 2023 soccer season came to an end for the Emery Spartans as they suffered a 5-0 loss to the Judge Memorial Bulldogs in the second round of the 3A State Championship Tournament Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake.
Ranked No. 9 entering the state tournament, the Spartans traveled to No. 8 Judge for the win-or-go-home contest. The Bulldogs capitalized early with two first half goals. Forced to play with desperation over the final half, the Spartans allowed three more goals in the eventual setback.
Five different Judge Memorial players found the back of the net in the dominating performance. Goalkeeper Kolby Sessions logged the shutout as the Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals.
The loss brings an end to a season filled with ups and downs for the Spartans. After losing the first three games of the season, Emery rallied off five consecutive wins to take control of the competitive Region 12. Splitting the final four games of the season, the Spartans settled for a share of the Region 12 championship, tying Carbon with a league record of 6-2.