OGDEN – Alexis King’s first head coaching job came quicker than she might have imagined, but when Ryan Robinson suddenly left the Ogden girls soccer program, King seized the opportunity and took it without hesitation.
The former assistant currently has a 0-2 record in her first season as Ogden’s head coach, as the Tigers look for a win Friday against Clearfield (5:30 p.m., Spence Eccles Community Sports Complex). Last year, Ogden finished 18-2 in King’s first year as coach.
“I wanted to take this opportunity because I really like this group of girls,” King told the Standard-Examiner. “I’ve always wanted to coach. I’ve had a few coaching opportunities before, but this was the first real opportunity in high school.”
Ogden drew 1-1 with Brighton on Wednesday, forcing a penalty shootout to lose 4-3. Veteran goalkeeper Grace Malan said the Tigers were still at the beginning of their team chemistry.
Malan may have the best view of the game from the net, but she has also witnessed many talented names come through Ogden over the past three successful seasons. As one of the Tigers’ six active seniors, Malan believes King has the potential to carry on that tradition after the unexpected change.
“I think the more we play, the more we understand each other,” Malan said. “It was a little difficult at first, but I think we’re getting used to each other’s style of play. … We’ve been a very successful program the last few years, but I think (King) is a good addition as head coach and I think she’ll bring an aspect that hasn’t been here before.”
A former player at Woods Cross University in Fulton, Missouri, King is working to translate her college career to her new role as a coach. King described her administrative and organizational duties as the “little things” that she believes will make the biggest difference for her as a coach.
In Ogden’s second loss of the regular season, King noticed that her voice as a coach – both in practice and off – was being heard on the field.
“I’ve always been a player and never been in a position where I had to be a head coach and help our team grow through our challenges,” King said. “After our first game, I thought, ‘What do I do now?’ and we reflected a lot on our practice on Tuesday. It was really nice to see the girls apply what we learned in the game (against Brighton) and I think we were much more successful.”
BEAR RIVER 3, COTTONWOOD 0
MURRAY – Janessa Esquivel scored a brace in the first half to lead Bear River to an away win on Wednesday.
Lexi Winn scored a second-half goal for Bear River (1-0) and Emily Robison was responsible for the shutout in goal. Emry Crowther and Cracie Meeds assisted Esquivel on his goals.
RESULTS, NO STATISTICS REPORTED
Morgan 8, Roy 0
Kearns 5, Ben Lomond 0
BOYS GOLF
WEST FIELD TAKES 7TH PLACE ON DEBUT
PRESTON, Idaho – Mack Herzog’s fourth-place individual finish (71) highlighted the West Field boys’ golf debut Thursday at the Preston Invitational at Preston Golf Course. The Longhorns finished seventh overall and scored 325 points as a team.
Daxton Crase (82), Daxton Seager (85) and Roc Hansen (87) each contributed to the Longhorns’ first-ever appearance on the golf course. West Field continues its inaugural season on Tuesday at Eagle Mountain.
Newsletter