WOODS CROSS -- One team's slip is another team's opportunity. Such was the case Friday afternoon as the Bountiful Braves eked out a 1-0 win over rival Wildcats on the turf at Woods Cross High School. With 15 minutes to play in the first half of a physical, fast-paced game, the Braves cleared the ball and as he moved to scoop it, Woods Cross goal keeper, Matt Jensen, who played a great game, slipped and fell. The ball careened to the right and looked as if it would go out of bounds. Bountiful's Jamie Rigby, one of the few players who could have chased down the ball before it left play, did so, while teammate Mike Wright had the presence of mind to streak toward the unprotected Woods Cross goal.

"I was just trying to get to the ball and I heard Mike yelling that he was open," Rigby said. "Jensen is such a great goalie I knew we had to take advantage of this opportunity."

Rigby got the ball to Wright who was able to fire off the game's only score.

"There are not a lot of athletes who could have made that play other than Jamie," said Bountiful coach Lou Plank. "And Mike saw trouble brewing and knew to make a break at the goal."

While Jensen's game was near perfect, his Bountiful counterpart Brian Simmons picked up another win.

"This is the game you look forward to all year," Simmons said. "It feels great to come here on their field and win."

With the Braves playing on the Woods Cross turf field, Plank was concerned about his team's reaction to the unique field.

"I was worried we might struggle on the field, that one of our defenders would slip at the wrong time," Plank said. "But they did a good job."

Simmons is one who actually prefers the turf field.

"I like it on these kinds of fields because it's consistent. There aren't going to be as many weird hops as you get on a grass field."

With Bountiful nursing its 1-0 lead, the Wildcats weren't about to go away quietly. With 5:10, the Cats missed on a break away and with 28 minutes to play in the game, a major scramble occurred in front of the Bountiful goal but once again the Cats came away empty.

"I saw Will Burton and thought, 'oh no' because he is such a great player and he had the ball," Simmons said. "Then things got crazy and the play ended without a score. I felt real fortunate."

The win kept the Braves undefeated in Region 5 play.

"These are such great games," Plank said. "No matter what the records are or where the teams are these are always exciting down to the wire games.

"It was exciting."

Just like rivalry games should be.

sschulte@davisclipper.com