The Alta Hawks came out strong Thursday afternoon against the West Jordan Jaguars, winning the contest 15-2. Alta Jumped out to a commanding 6-1 advantage to end the first behind the stellar play of their offensive unit, led by standout attackmen Jake Arbon and midfielder Matt Michaeli. Arbon had 5 goals and 1 assist with Michaeli notching 3 goals and 2 assists in the first half, both helping push the lead to 10-1 at the break. The Hawks finished the rest of the game on cruise control, allowing their second and third lines to grind it out, earning some much needed experience.
When asked about Jake Arbon, Alta’s Head Coach Todd Handley said, “We expect a lot out of Jake this year, he’s really stepped up, and he’s a go to guy on offense for us.” Arbon is a senior captain for Alta this year and will be key to having a successful season for The Hawks.
The Jaguars had trouble catching and finishing on the crease against the experienced Hawks and will need to grow together before they can become a serious threat. West Jordan is a very young team but did show some bright spots with their physicality and hustle. Experience will be everything for the Jaguars this season and games like this against top teams should give them a chance to test their medal.
The Jaguars stud of a defensemen Troy Fuhriman had a solid game defending Arbon, but couldn’t get enough help from his fellow defenders, who seemed just one step too slow all too often. Fuhriman was a one man wrecking machine on the field nonetheless and had the most exciting play of the game.
The Big D man scooped up a ground ball and rushed down the field almost eighty yards, bouncing off of two Hawks midfielders before spinning in between two more long poles. Troy somehow held on to the ball after running the gauntlet through Alta’s defense, and looked surprised he made it all that way before zipping one past the keeper from five feet out.
Alta and West Jordan are on opposite ends of the spectrum this season. The Hawks will be looking towards a championship and The Jags will be looking for a few tough wins to build confidence in a young team.
West Jordan will move on to play Spanish Fork on Tuesday, March 15th at 5:00 PM at Joel P Jensen Middle School.
Alta will move on to play Waterford on Tuesday, March 15th at 5:00 PM at Alta High School.
