It’s incredibly difficult to three-peat. Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs, or any NFL team for that matter, where the achievement has never been done. It’s tough because you often lose invaluable players, staff and personnel along the way.
The Miners girls soccer team defied the odds Tuesday at home however, taking down Juan Diego Catholic 8-0 for their third-straight regional title. Park City had clinched a share of the title on Friday during their senior night.
The Miners used a swift, second half attack to end Tuesday’s game via a mercy rule. They led 2-0 at the half, and scored six more times in the first 22 minutes of the second half. Junior Elsa Dellenback led the team with four goals and an assist.
Park City’s persistent attack and effort was emblematic of their year and the program under head coach Anthony DiCicco. While the Miners are still searching for their first state title since 2005, they’re emerging as a Utah powerhouse and a team nobody wants to play when all the chips are down in the postseason, which begins next Thursday.
“The overall feeling was one of celebration and gratitude for the reward of the work that the girls have put in,” DiCicco said. “Also an awareness that we’re not done yet.”
The title was the first in three years that the Miners have gotten to celebrate at home. Now, they’re looking to follow in the 2023 team’s footsteps and close out regional play undefeated. The team will finish their regular season Monday at home against Cottonwood.
“The hardest thing to do is to not compete against your opponent, but to compete against our own standards,” DiCicco said. “Won the league for the third year in a row, that standard has been established, and we’ve met that standard again. Now, we push on to see what the high water mark is.”
Park City is constantly working on the minutiae of their game. DiCicco constantly refers to the margins of the game as “razor-thin.” Despite their success, the Miners are still the fifth-ranked team in 4A, just behind Green Canyon who has ended each of their last two campaigns.
“The sustained excellence that we’ve demonstrated over these past three years and in Region 10 is not something to be taken for granted,” DiCicco said. “It’s an incredibly difficult feat for our girls.”
The Miners will work on resting up for the playoffs and getting some backups ready on Monday. There’s a shot they could get the 4A fourth seed when the postseason brackets are revealed Wednesday, meaning two potential home playoff games, however they aren’t worried about things outside their control.
“On the day, anybody can beat anybody,” DiCicco said. “That’s why we play the games. Every one of these has to be earned.”
The Miners will also practice and look to keep their starters fresh. It’s likely their first playoff game will come Oct. 14. DiCicco knows this team has what it takes to hoist another, bigger title if they play to their abilities each postseason game.
“Do we have the potential, the opportunity to do it? Absolutely, and every single player on our team believes that,” he said. “We learned lessons throughout the process that can serve us down the road, and then it really just comes down to our execution of our shared ideas and shared understanding.”
Park City’s only three losses this season came at the beginning of the season in one possession games to Desert Hills, Wasatch and Lone Peak. Those three teams are ranked seventh, 12th and first in 4A, 5A and 6A, respectively.
“One of the things that’s really special about this group is that it’s not just one player, there are a number of players. I think we’ve had 14 or 15 goal scorers already this season,” DiCicco said. “There’s a number of players that can step up in the moment to be the difference maker.”
He went on: “Putting together the most complete performance from an attacking, defensive, leadership and energy standpoint is the objective every single time we take the field. Our best soccer is still ahead of us.”