Healthy, eligible players, a superb goalkeeper and physical play helped Grantsville edge county rival Tooele 2-1 in soccer Tuesday night in Tooele.

Tooele's Chance Nelson scored six minutes into the game, but the Buffaloes could not connect again during the remaining 74 minutes.

The Buffaloes threatened to score with nine minutes left in the opening half, but Grantsville's goalkeeper Steven Sharpe turned away two consecutive hard shots with a hand save and a kick save.

Midway through the first half, Grantsville's Galana Eschete fired in a shot to tie the game at 1-1. And then with time running out in the opening half, Grantsville's Jackson Kelley received a perfect pass from a teammate and headed the ball into the net to put the Cowboys up 2-1 at intermission.

The two teams battled hard and play was physical with neither team able to score in the second half.

"We were blessed to get that second goal because this was an extremely competitive game against a very good team," said Grantsville coach Chris Holley.

The Cowboys have had an up-and-down season with injured players and ineligible players, but the team was at full strength on Tuesday night.

Grantsville is 0-3-1 in Region 11 and 3-5-1 overall, but the coach said his team will be a force to be reckoned with now that they are back at full strength. "We've been without four or five players because of grades and injuries so it was good to have those players in the lineup tonight," the coach said.

"This was a great game because the refs allowed both teams to play and the game was very physical and competitive," Holley said. "We were able to win because of heart and effort."

Tooele coach Alex Zamora was pleased with his team's determination and hustle.

"Both sides played well. We scored early and then made a few mistakes. It was a good game between two good teams. Our kids are working hard and we're playing in an extremely difficult division (4A Region 7)," he said.

Zamora believes high school soccer will only keep improving in Tooele County. "Here at Tooele the kids are working with a new coach and with a new direction and philosophy. The program will continue to get better in the next two or three years."

The Grantsville coach can only gush with admiration when he talks about his goalkeeper Sharpe.

"I can't put a price on his value to this team. He does more than any goalkeeper I've seen," the coach said.

Zamora agrees.

"He's everything as advertised -- an excellent player who keeps his team organized," the Tooele coach said. "We needed to hit much harder shots at him though."

Grantsville's defense also played well causing havoc for Tooele's offensive players and keeping the ball out of the scoring area.

Tooele played strong last Thursday against the state's third-ranked team 4A Mountain View. The Buffaloes battled to a 0-0 tied after the first half, but the Bruins connected on three goals in the second half holding Tooele scoreless for the game.

"We've been in games this year against strong competition and our kids have done everything we've asked of them," Zamora said.

The Buffaloes could have a shot at victory today when they travel to Payson. The Lions and Buffs are both 1-7 this year.

Grantsville plays at Morgan next Tuesday. The Trojans are 2-2 in Region 11.

e-mail:mwatson@tooeletranscript.com