Park City Red Wolves ranked first in soccer league

The Park City Red Wolves. Photo: courtesy of the Park City Red Wolves

BOULDER, Colo. — The still-unbeaten Park City Red Wolves of the soccer league USL2 grabbed four hard-fought points against Boulder County United and Flatirons Rush. With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Utah Red Wolves now sit six points ahead of their nearest competitor as they close in on their third straight division title.

The Red Wolves’ performance against Boulder County did not resemble their 4-1 trouncing of Boulder just one week earlier. Utah appeared lethargic for much of the match and failed to generate more than a few goalscoring opportunities.

The Wolves’ only goal came in the 53rd minute thanks to an unexpected moment of magic.

With Boulder County attacking deep in Utah territory, midfielder Santiago Delfino grabbed control of the ball and cleared it away. At midfield, a streaking Greyson Mercer expertly headed the ball off the bounce into Boulder County territory. Mercer proceeded to use a burst of speed to beat two defenders to the ball as Red Wolves forward Ryuya Miura raced to join the fray. An exquisite pass off Mercer’s left foot, carefully placed between the two defenders, intercepted Miura, who corralled the ball with his first touch and fired it past the Boulder goalkeeper with his second to break the stalemate.

The remainder of the match was punctuated by a series of Boulder County attacks, which forced Utah to play conservatively.

In the 86th minute, a Boulder County shot from just inside the penalty area deflected off the left bicep of a Red Wolves midfielder, resulting in a penalty kick. Boulder’s Jason Robles promptly buried the set piece to tie up the match. A deflated Utah squad continued to hold off the constant pressure of the opposition through eleven minutes of stoppage time, highlighted by a leaping save by goalkeeper Roark Looney in the 99th minute to preserve the draw.

In the team’s second match in three days, the Red Wolves battled Flatirons Rush in late afternoon temperatures pushing into the high 90s. The Wolves again struggled to push the ball down field, but they did manage to exploit holes in the Flatirons Rush defense when they encountered it.

Sandy-native Carter Johnson scored Utah’s first goal in the 18th minute courtesy of some crafty footwork. With the Red Wolves attacking on the outskirts of the Flatirons Rush penalty area, Ryuya Miura worked the ball toward the middle of the field as he located his Utah Valley University teammate. Johnson patiently waited for the nearest defender to swarm as he dragged the ball from his right foot to his left. He then fired a confident strike past the diving goalkeeper for his second goal of the season.

Miura added an equally impressive goal just before halftime. Narrowly avoiding an offside penalty in the process, Miura navigated two defenders before seizing a split-second shot opportunity from 12 yards out. The ball scraped between the defenders before finding itself in the back of the net, giving the Wolves a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

The second half saw both teams play slowly as they battled the heat. The full-time whistle blew with the Red Wolves securing the 2-0 victory and goalkeeper Jason Smith grabbing his third clean sheet of the season.

The Red Wolves now travel to Colorado to face Flatirons Rush on Saturday. The Wolves then return home to face New Mexico United on July 15 in their final match of the regular season. The contest will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. The gates open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are available for $10 each.