Sandy-area girls soccer fans have two teams ranked in the 5A top 20 heading into the 2026 Class 5A season, which kicks off the week of Saturday, Aug. 8. Hillcrest carries a No. 6 RPI ranking from 2025, while Alta checks in at No. 18.
Hillcrest Huskies: Region 4 contenders
Second-year head coach Preston McArthur returns with a squad that went 13-6 overall last season and tied for first in Region 4 with a 12-2 record. The Huskies averaged 2.6 goals per game in 2025, sixth-best in 5A.
"We found incredible success last year, we are looking forward to continuing that success this year," McArthur told the Deseret News in its preseason capsule published Saturday, Aug. 1.
Hillcrest returns six contributors: senior midfielder Josie Haddock, senior defender Callie Gallman, junior goalkeeper Kyla Nielson, senior midfielder Serenity Lawlor, senior defender Makenzie Dwyer, and junior forward Amira Kirby. Freshman forward Nora Goodman and junior forward Sam Sebahar are the key newcomers.
The challenge: Hillcrest's 2025 postseason ended with an 8-0 loss to Box Elder in the second round. The defense allowed 1.7 goals per game last year, 13th in 5A. Region 4 rival Kearns finished 2025 as the No. 1 RPI team in the classification at 13-3, so the path to a region title runs through a proven opponent.
Alta Hawks: Young roster, veteran coach
Ninth-year head coach Mackenzie Hyer guides a team she summed up simply in the Deseret News capsule: "Young team but ready for some great soccer." Alta went 9-10 overall in 2025 and finished fourth in Region 6 at 6-6, but the Hawks showed grit in the postseason, beating Pleasant Grove 3-2 on penalty kicks before falling 2-1 to Olympus in the second round.
The Alta graduate and former All-American goalkeeper, profiled by the Sandy Journal in April, also leads the Hawks' boys program and was named the 2025-26 NFHS Boys Soccer Coach of the Year. She's been coaching at her alma mater since 2001.
Alta returns senior forward Taylor Butt and senior defender Alyssa Bernard as its named contributors. The Hawks averaged just 1.4 goals per game last season (19th in 5A) and allowed 2.4 (21st), so offensive production will need to improve.
Region 6 presents the steepest climb in 5A. Defending state champion Bountiful (No. 8 RPI, 14-5 in 2025) and state runner-up Olympus (No. 2 RPI, 15-5) both play in the same region, meaning Alta will face elite competition every week.
