DRAPER — Four years in a row, Ogden and Park City have met in either the 3A championship or a semifinal. Last year, the Miners beat Ogden to win it all. Thursday night, on the same Juan Diego High School field, the Tigers got a 2-0 victory for a chance at the title game on Friday.
"Park City is a good team, that's why they're here," said Ogden coach Ryan Robinson. "It just feels good to get to the championship, no matter who we beat to get there."
The Tigers came out agressive from the get-go Thursday, taking six shots in the first 15 minutes. All six were stopped by Park City keeper Ben Stollerman, but the seventh got by.
Tiger Eric Creamer fired from 20 feet in the 27th minute that hit the cross bar behind Stollerman, and before he could locate the ball, it crossed the line.
"I could have stopped it if I knew where it was going, but . . . ," Stollerman said.
In each of the last four meetings between the two teams, a one goal lead has been enough to get the win, and Thursday was no different.
Like Ogden, the Miners were taking their shots in the first half, but the biggest obstacle for Park City was the goal itself.
Just before the Tigers score, Mark Thimm narrowly missed his first shot of the game, hitting the post just to the left. Before the half ended, Park CIty would hit either the post or the crossbar three more times, a total of six times by the end of the game.
"The difference in the game was a quarter of an inch," Park City coach Mike Guetchow said after the game.
Twelve minutes into the second half, the Tigers took control of the game with a goal by Collin Orton, and put the lock on the box with an impressive defensive performance.
More than once in the second half, the Miners had what looked like a break away and a shot at an easy goal, only to have it broken up by Ogden sweeper Tommy Marcheschi.
"He's a senior, and he's worked really hard to be where he is," said Robinson. "We actually tried moving him to mid-field earlier this season, but now I think he's the best sweeper in the state."
"Our wing defenders did a good job keeping them wide," Marcheschi said, "I took away their angle when they had it, but I just got lucky."
Ogden may need a little luck in Friday's championship game, when the Tigers will face another tough defensive team in the Wasatch Wasps.
WASATCH 1, JUDGE 0: Wasatch got a 1-0 win over Judge Memorial in the early game Thursday.
Midway through the first half, Wasatch forward Craig Smith got the ball at midfield and beat three Judge defenders to get within five feet of the goal. Smith got his 15th goal of the season and Wasatch got the win.
"I told Craig before this season that if he could get 15 goals and seven assists we'd be champs," said Wasatch coach Dawain Wheatley, "and he's got 15 and six.
"We've been working on getting him to distribute the ball more, because when he does, it gives him more room to be creative, like that run today."
The Wasps celebrated afterward like they'd won the championship, instead of just getting to it, but the win meant more than most playoff games.
Wheatly, who has coached at Wasatch for 12 years, got his 100th win.
Wasatch and Ogden play for the big trophy Friday at 6 p.m. at Juan Diego.