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Cottonwood Heights • Technically it was an upset based on seeding, but Layton coach Alyssa Amano didn't see it that way.

"I honestly have so much faith in our team," Amano said following the Lancers' 1-0 win at Brighton on Tuesday in the opening round of the Class 5A girls' soccer tournament. "I think the standings, how we came out in our region, didn't really tell how good of a team these guys are. Brighton came out and played an awesome game, but I really believe in our girls and I think they have a lot of potential."

Layton improved to 9-5-1 on the season after finishing third in Region 2, while Brighton's season came to a conclusion with an overall record of 12-5. The Bengals, who were eliminated for the second straight year in the first round, were the No. 2 seed from Region 3.

The first half featured little to zero action in terms of legitimate scoring opportunities for either program. Layton at least made Brighton's goalkeeper use her hands occasionally, but there was no real threat of any of the Lancers attempts reaching the back of the net. The Bengals, on the other hand, could have put Layton's goalkeeper asleep from lack of attention, aside from one breakaway shot that was fired head-on for a relatively effortless save.

This type of play isn't unusual for the first round of the postseason. Considering the entire year depends on every outcome from this point forward, nerves are expectedly more tense, and sometimes it requires an acclimation period to get used to the higher stakes.

The jitterbugs steadily started to fly away, however, as both teams started to attack more confidently on offense toward the end of the first half, but it was Layton that broke through when Elizabeth Healey crossed her defender at the top of the box and furnished the 1-0 lead with high strike in the 49th minute.

That proved to be enough, as Layton's defense withstood an onslaught from Brighton, which desperately fought to keep its season alive in the final 10 minutes of regulation. As they did throughout the first half, the Lancers never truly allowed Brighton to see any solid looks at the net.

"We have a very strong defensive line,"Amano said. "I have a lot of faith in them. They did their job."

Layton will now travel to face American Fork — the top seed from Region 4, which defeated Mountain Crest 5-0 in the opening round — on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

"All we've got to worry about is ourselves," Amano said of facing the Cavemen. "Hopefully we can prepare and go in and give it a good game."

Davis establishes another record

The Darts, who are ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, already own the record for most consecutive wins, which they set with a win against Hunter earlier this year. Now, after beating Jordan 3-0 in the first round, the Darts have enjoyed the longest streak without a loss in state history, surpassing Mountain View's 40-game unbeaten stretch. Davis, which could have tied to beat the record, has won all 41 games. The Darts will face Weber in the quarterfinals on Thursday in a rematch of last season's state championship, which Davis won 1-0.

tphibbs@sltrib.com Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Storylines

R Elizabeth Healey scores the only goal of the game lead Layton to an upset victory over Brighton in the first round of the Class 5A tournament.

• The Lancers will face American Fork, the top-seed from Region 4, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Tuesday's 5A scores

• Layton 1, Brighton 0

• American Fork 5, Mountain Crest 0

• Fremont 3, Pleasant Grove 0

• Viewmont 2, Bingham 0

• Weber 5, Herriman 1

• Davis 3, Jordan 0

• Copper Hills 3, Syracuse 0

• Lone Peak 3, Sky View 2

Quarterfinals Thursday, 4 p.m.

• Layton at American Fork

• Viewmont at Fremont

• Weber at Davis

• Lone Peak at Copper Hills