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Cottonwood Heights • Riverton trotted across the pitch to the accompanying applause from the small contingency of purple waiting to celebrate a fifth consecutive win. The post-game encore is becoming as customary to the defending champions as fans screaming for more at a rock concert.
But instead of "Hozier" lingering behind stage, preparing for another single, it was Silverwolves coach Paul Mozier waiting on the opposite end at the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center, the home field of Brighton, on Tuesday afternoon.
"That was a bad one," he preached in the huddle after the 2-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Bengals before commending his team's resiliency and physicality.
Following last season's first state championship in program history, the stress to exceed expectations with every victory is more apparent than ever.
"We feel a lot more pressure this year," Riverton keeper Parker Seegmiller said. "We have a target on our backs. It's kind of scary, definitely. We always want to improve."
Improving the intricacies of winning is always ongoing, but bettering a perfect 5-0 record is tough.
"It's a good way to start preseason — well the whole preseason, I guess," Seegmiller said. "It's good that we're winning, at least."
Riverton grabbed an early 1-0 lead after Bryan Mendenhall snaked a deflection off the post into the net. The 'Wolves padded the cushion to 2-0 on Brett Smith's header from a free kick midway through the second.
Known for its defense, Riverton sucked the life out of the home crowd like leeches. With Brighton's scoring opportunities at a premium, students mingled in conversation, immune to the action playing in front of them. But after the Bengals cut the deficit to one in the 57th minute, the crowd re-energized, helping turn the momentum in their own favor.
"At that point, they were coming on strong," Mozier said. "They always say 2-0 is the most dangerous score in soccer, 'cause once they get that first one, momentum can switch. It's really tough to hold that back."
Brighton nearly pulled even in the 64th minute on a free kick, but Seegmiller, who has evolved into one of the marquee names between the posts, made one of his numerous saves.
"No — well, sometimes," Seegmiller said, laughing, when asked if he felt players specially made it a priority to prevent him from leading the state in shutouts again. "It's OK. I like the pressure because I play better."
It's a good thing, too. Because the pressure isn't going away anytime soon.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs