BEAR RIVER HIGH – By Tate Atkin, Headliner Sports Writer, April 3, 2022
It’s been a long time since the Bear River High boys’ soccer team has added a “W” to the win column. You would have to go back to before the pandemic to see a victory for the Bears, April of 2019 to be exact.
After the last couple of winless seasons, there is a new head coach looking to turn things around for the boys’ soccer program at Bear River High. This year Shawn Miller was named the head coach but even with the change of coach, it has been more of the same for the boys’ soccer team at Bear River. They have started the 2022 season 0-9 and are still looking for that elusive first win.
The season started on the road on March 7, 2022, against Park City High. The Bears were unable to score a goal and were shutout by the Miners. With Park City scoring three goals the Bears fell, 3-0.
With the first match in the rearview mirror, the Bears were looking forward to being at home for their next match against Roy High on March 11. The change of venue didn’t prove to be a factor as the Bears continued to struggle scoring and gave up six goals to the Royals.
The best way for any team to get out a rut is to play a long-time rival. There is always something special about those matches and gives teams a little extra boost of competition. On March 15, Bear River hosted the Box Elder Bees and the two teams put on quite a show. It was a close game and both teams stayed competitive throughout. The Bees edged out the Bears and handed them their third loss of the season by a score of 2-1. The loss stung for the Bears but with a close competitive match the Bears seemed to be primed for a win in their next match.
Catch the entire Box Elder vs. Bear River game again, courtesy of Bear River Live, on the link below.
The Bears were hoping for some luck as they welcomed the Lions from Payson High on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. The luck was unfortunately in favor of the green Payson Lions and the Bears were left feeling green with envy as they lost to the Lions by a score of 4-3.
After their highest scoring output of the season and with two straight losses by just one point, the Bears traveled to face the Tooele High Buffalos on March 21, ready to overcome the losses and get the win. More offensive struggles led to another loss as they fell to the Buffalos 4-1. The game against Tooele was the final game before the Bears started region play.
The Bears limped into Region 11 play with a record of 0-5. With three straight home games, the Bears were looking to turn things around. The first region match was against Ridgeline High on March 24. Again, the Bears struggled to score and were shutout by the Riverhawks with Ridgeline scoring four goals, the Bears lost 4-0.
On March 26, the Mustangs from Mountain Crest High visited Garland for another region battle. The match ended in another shutout defeat for Bear River and their 4th such loss of the season. The Mustangs poured it on in dominating fashion as they defeated the Bears, 7-0.
After back-to-back shutout losses, the Bears were able to stop the streak of not scoring but it wasn’t enough as they faced the Green Canyon High Wolves at home on March 29. Their lone goal was overshadowed by the scoring of the visiting Wolves as the Bears were routed by Green Canyon in a 9-1 loss.
The Bears traveled to Cache Valley to face Logan High on March 31, where Bear River’s Kyver Jensen scored two goals for the Bears, one after a beautiful long assist from teammate Adrian Flores early in the match. But Logan bested them scoring three goals of their own and the Bears lost another heartbreaking game, this time by a score of 3-2.
Rewatch the exciting match against the Logan High, courtesy of Bear River Live, on the link below.
The now 0-9 Bears are ready to move on from the month of March and are hoping that after a week off for spring break (April 4-8) April will bring better success and they can end their losing ways. With just four matches left in the season, the Bears are looking to end the season on a high note and get that “W” they have been working so hard to get.
The Bear River High boys’ soccer team will finish their season with four more region matches as they travel to Ridgeline High after spring break to face the Riverhawks on April 14. They will have their final road game of the season as they face Green Canyon in North Logan on April 19.
The Bears finish the season at home with two more matches. They will host Logan High April 21, and finish the season hosting Mountain Crest on April 26. All remaining games will start at 7 p.m.
