Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
HERRIMAN — Copper Hills head coach Justin Hendrix said every match in 6A, including Region 2, is laden with talent and is always a dogfight.
Case in point: Though his Copper Hills Grizzlies peppered Real Salt Lake Academy with 17 shots Thursday, only two went in; but it was the difference as the Grizzlies (11-0-2) put away the Griffins 2-0 at the Zions Bank Training Center.
"This team, we're continuing to develop, we're continuing to get better," Hendrix said. "(The start to the season) we've had doesn't surprise me or anyone else in our locker room."
Despite the score, Copper Hills was the far better team from the outset, as they have in most of their matches this year.
The Grizzlies wasted no time in posting their first shot just 32 seconds into the match, then Sena Bell slotted a low shot into the bottom right corner after a square pass from midfielder Aerith Gomez, who continually gave the RSL Academy (0-0-8) fullbacks fits, in just the 16th minute.
It would be all the scoring that occurred until Sydney Torres unleashed a screamer from 25 yards out into the top-right corner just six minutes into the second half, giving Copper Hills a cushion they would not relinquish.
"Sydney's probably had six or seven of those this year," Hendrix said. "If she's got the ball at her feet, 20 to 30 yards out, she's probably looking to shoot."
It's also a product of Hendrix's playing style, which emphasizes possession and buildup from the back, but also relies on the creativity of the players. Torres currently leads the Grizzlies with 11 goals, while Anna Hendrix and Brenna Arauzo have 6 assists each.
More incredibly, of the players currently listed on the roster, only four of them have not scored this season.
Of course, Hendrix said he knows his team can get even better. Despite dominating RSL Academy Thursday, the Grizzlies gave up two quality chances to the Griffins inside the final ten minutes that could have made things a lot hairier down the stretch.
"We're trying some new formations right now to see if that unlocks some things," he said. "It's still a lot of fun to take the field with these girls."
It's a far cry from last season, where Hendrix said the expectation was to just win games. Now, the standard has been elevated higher, and he added everyone in the locker room believes they can go further, even if they are overlooked by some outside observers.
"We're at our best when we take it game by game," he said. "There's a lot of talent, there's a lot of heart, and there's a lot of fight on this team."
