By Brian Shaw | [email protected]

The last time the Cottonwood High School girls soccer team had more than four wins was six years ago. 

This year, the Colts rode a rollicking 2-0 start in preseason then earned two big wins in region play over to secure a state tournament berth, at which they drew Murray and lost 8-1 at Murray to end their most successful year since 2014. 

The season began for Cottonwood (4-13) in early August. The Colts toughed out a 2-1 win over Provo, then hung on for a 3-2 victory over Grantsville. 

Region play began soon after that, and even for a veteran-laden team, the Colts still struggled through the majority of August, failing to secure a league win.  

But Cottonwood was able to rebound on Aug. 29, exploding for five goals in a 5-2 rout of crosstown rival Hillcrest. 

After the win over Hillcrest, the Colts had a tough September. They continued to work through various issues like injuries as well as several player absences due to positive COVID-19 cases and didn't win again until Sept. 29 versus Highland, a 2-1 victory. 

Those two region victories, however, put Cottonwood in seventh place overall. With its strength of schedule, the Colts RPI qualified them for one of the final spots in the state tournament for the second year in a row, drawing Murray on the road. 

On the season, the Colts had several who were leading scorers. Megan Nelson had another solid year, scoring five goals. Makayla Montoya had four tallies for Cottonwood, while Alaina Nielson, a newcomer, tacked on three.