The Skyridge Falcons girls soccer team opened the 2026 season 0-4, but three of those losses came by a single goal against some of the best programs in the state.

First-year head coach Jhoan Alvizo, who replaced retired coach Toby Peterson, saw his squad fall 3-0 to Olympus in the Aug. 4 home opener before heading to southern Utah for three road games in three days. The Falcons lost 1-0 to Desert Hills on Aug. 6, 1-0 to Crimson Cliffs on Aug. 7 and 2-1 to Snow Canyon on Aug. 8.

The southern Utah opponents were no pushovers. Snow Canyon won the 4A state championship last season with an 18-2 record, according to Deseret News preseason capsules. Desert Hills reached the 4A semifinals at 15-5, and Crimson Cliffs made the quarterfinals at 14-5.

Alvizo scheduled those matchups on purpose.

"Almost all of our pre-season games are against finalists or semifinalists from last season," Alvizo told Lehi Free Press. "This gives us a good idea of how we stake up against great opposition in the state. It also allows us to get better facing higher-level opposition."

The approach reflects what Alvizo said in an Aug. 1 season preview, when he called Region 3 "the region of death" and said the tough schedule helps his team prepare for the postseason's knockout stages.

Skyridge kept a clean sheet in the first half of all three southern Utah games before conceding late. Against Olympus, the Titans scored in the fifth minute, added a second just before halftime and completed the tally in the 77th minute.

The bright spot came in the final road game at Snow Canyon, where junior midfielder Hallee Sheffield scored the Falcons' first goal of 2026. Sheffield, who contributed two goals and an assist last season, gives Alvizo a building block in the midfield alongside seniors Bentley Knight and Lexi Blood, last year's leading scorer with eight goals.

Alvizo told Lehi Free Press he saw progress despite the early results, saying the small details the team works on in practice are starting to come together and that the pre-season is about building the program's identity.

The Falcons continue pre-region play Friday, Aug. 14, at Mountain View with a 7 p.m. kickoff, then travel to Davis on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 3:30 p.m. Region 3 play opens Sept. 1 at Lehi at 3:30 p.m.