High school soccer: Spartans beat Highland; clinch home playoff game

Only a few days ago, the Leopards clinched a region title and completed a season sweep over the Rams on their home field. With second place in Region 6 on the line, the Spartans did the same.

Led by a goal and a pair of assists from senior forward Stephanie Palmer, Murray beat Highland 3-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Sugarhouse Park.

Like East before them, the Spartans beat the Rams in both meetings this season. This latest win guarantees Murray will host a first-round game against Region 5's third-place team in the 4A tournament next week.

That development has the Spartans thinking playoff success is within their grasp.

"It's such an advantage because we know our own field," Murray coach Anna Knudsen said. "We know the space and we know how each (player) works within that space."

Highland might have enjoyed better luck if on its field if it had found some way to contain the Spartan offense. The Rams allowed a season high three goals and yielded more than one goal in a game for only the second time this fall.

"We've been working hard up there," Palmer said. "We're feeling like we need to be an attacking team as well as a good defending team and it happened today."

Palmer had a hand in sparking that attack by setting up each of those goals.

She set up the first Spartan goal in the 26th minute on a cross into Haley Jangard at the far post. Jangard one-touched the ball past the post and Highland keeper Erica Owens.

Amy Murakami played a great ball up the middle to Palmer a couple of minutes later. Owens came out to stop her on the breakaway. When she dived for the ball, Palmer simply sidestepped her and guided the ball home to give Murray a 2-0 lead.

"A little touch and a open net — it feels good," Palmer said, describing her goal. "It's like what you dream of as a forward."

Any hopes for a Ram comeback were dashed in the 70th minute though when Palmer found Shandi Schoneman parallel to the near post and Schoneman put in a chip shot after receiving the ball.

"That's so cool it came from three different players," Knudsen said. "We don't have one player that dominated on the goal sheet. We mixed it up and three players scored and that's key."

E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com

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