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Holladay • After weathering a flurry of shots in the first half, and a flurry of wind and snow in the second, the Olympus Titans advanced in the Class 4A boys' soccer tournament with a 2-0 win over visiting Timpview on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite the underdog Thunderbirds taking quick control of the game after the opening whistle, goalkeeper Luke Johnson and his backline were able to snuff out most of Timpview's early chances until the Titans began to round into their usual form.

"The first half was a little scary, but the first half of a playoff game is always going to be like that," Johnson said. "I feel like we settled down and kind of had [the game] under control by the second half. Our defense has been so solid all year. It just took us a little while to get going. But once we got going, we just felt rock solid."

Johnson, who recorded his 12th shutout and only has allowed eight goals this season, said that stingy defense will be "vital" to the Titans' success in making a playoff run.

"I've got [James] Dansie and Josh [Gubler] and Matt [Lockwood] and Samuel [Marberger] in there, and they're just big time," Johnson said. "There were only two or three saves I had to make today that were difficult. They help me out a lot with that."

Olympus finally got on the board in the 31st minute when the Titans were awarded a free kick on the edge of the penalty box. Abram Gubler's initial shot deflected away from goal, but senior Sam Gardiner was there to redirect a shot back on frame. Timpview goalkeeper Thomas Miloni came up with a reaction save, but he wasn't quick enough to get a piece of Adam Naylor's follow-up shot as the sophomore midfielder scored his fourth goal of the season off the bench.

"Sam had a good shot. He kept it low, and the keeper just bobbled it right to me," Naylor said. "I was just in the right spot. Coach always tells us to follow every shot on those kind of set pieces. I was just able to get away from my man, and it luckily popped out right to me."

The Titans never relinquished control of the game from that point. Gubler slammed the door on the Thunderbirds in the 59th minute with his 10th goal of the season.

"I think when we started to possess the ball a little bit better, we just controlled the midfield," Naylor said. "We were able to attack a lot better after that point."

Titans coach Chris Sonntag said the key was dealing with Timpview's the early pressure.

"They're very offensive," Sonntag said. "They kind of got us on our heels to start for five or 10 minutes. But I think once we settled down and started moving through the midfield, that set everything else up. I think that's what turned the tide for us, getting that link from the midfield to the forwards."

Olympus advanced to Friday's state quarterfinal, when it will face East. —

Olympus 2, Timpview 0

R Olympus outshoots Timpview 14-5, including 8-2 on goal.

• Olympus pushes its winning streak to 10 games.

• The Titans will face East, the top seed from Region 5, in the state quarterfinals.