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The Davis Darts sent a clear message to the rest of Region 2 on Tuesday after a 2-0 win against rival Layton on the road: They're not giving up the top spot without a fight.
"We had a bad week last week," said Davis coach Soulyvan Phongsavath before his squad took the field Tuesday. "This is definitely a bounce back game for us and there's definitely more motivation for this game."
From the opening whistle, one could tell this game meant more for both teams.
The opening half saw a lot of physical play with neither team able to gain much traction on offense. After 20 minutes of posting, pulling, shoving and tugging, the referee regained control of the game with three yellow cards in the span of five minutes.
"We knew that we had to be smart," Phongsavath said. "Every time we play [Layton] it's physical … if we can keep our heads and stick to our game plan, then we knew good things would happen."
Good things happened for the Darts early in the second half when Caden Garlock got on the end of a pass played across the Layton six-yard box in the 44th minute. Garlock's shot found the top corner of the net as Davis took a 1-0 lead.
Then it was Darts goalkeeper Tanner Kennard's time to shine as he repelled multiple waves of attacks from the Lancers.
"When the ball is pinging around the box, I'm in a frantic mode trying to get it out," Kennard said. "I'm trying to grab it, I'm trying to hit it out, I'm trying to tip it over the bar just to get it out of pressure. But we finally got it out each time."
Thanks to Kennard, the Lancer backline was forced to creep further into the attack the later the game went in search of an equalizer. In the 75th minute, Davis was able to capitalize on the high line when Matt Ferre fired in the game-clinching goal.
"It means a lot to both teams," Kennard said of winning the Cross-Town Cup again. "We worked hard for this."
And although a home defeat to your rival isn't ideal, the Lancers remain only three points back of Davis in the region, a fact not lost on Lancer coach Rick Talamantez.
"We'll meet them again," Talamantez said. "I think winning the region is still a possibility, I don't think Davis can go out on a winning streak. They're a good team, but I think every team in our region is solid and can beat anyone, even the bottom teams are dangerous." Storylines
• Davis has won three straight over their crosstown rival.
• Tuesday marks only the second time all season that Layton has been shutout, both times against Davis.
• Only five points separate the top 3 teams in Region 2 (Davis, Layton, Viewmont).