PROVO — Over and over again during their inaugural season in the WPSL, the Utah Starzz had played quite well against division opponents, only to walk away with nothing.
So when Salt Lake defender Sara Cowley scored a fantastic goal in the 92nd minute in the final game of the season for Utah and Salt Lake, a goal that put Salt Lake ahead 1-0 with just a few minutes to go, the Starzz players couldn't help but feel like they would have to endure that same fate yet again.
Center back Lauren Dudley, however, didn't allow it to happen.
Dudley scored with a well-struck free kick from 25 yards in the 95th minute, and Utah emerged with a 1-1 draw against Salt Lake on Wednesday at Timpview High.
Salt Lake had beaten Utah twice before this summer, but Dudley's late heroics allowed Utah to walk away with a result against its rival.
"It felt good to celebrate after just because we've battled all year with this team," said Dudley.
In the space of critical three stoppage-time minutes, both teams experienced exactly opposite emotions. Salt Lake went from elation to frustration during that time, while Utah went from frustration to elation.
"The way the game finished and as well as we played, our girls almost look at as a win," said Utah coach Mark Graham. "It's not a moral victory, but the way they played (and) the way they finished the game — they score a last-second goal — it felt like a win."
Dudley made it possible.
Three minutes earlier, Cowley appeared to have won the game for Salt Lake when she cut inside a defender near the top of the 18-yard box and uncorked a phenomenal shot inside the right post.
Salt Lake was controversially awarded a free kick moments before Cowley's goal, and Graham was sent off for protesting the decision moments after the ball flew into the net.
With literally seconds remaining, however, the referee awarded an equally controversial free kick to Utah on the right side of Salt Lake's penalty box, and Dudley strode forward to take it.
She connected extremely well with the ball, and her resulting shot eluded everyone and slotted just inside the left post.
"They tell you to aim right at the players' face when you drive the ball because who's step in front of the ball when the ball's coming at your face?" said Dudley, who will be a sophomore at the University of Utah this fall. "So they kind of moved out of the way a little bit, (and) I think one of our forwards, Shantel (Flanary) kind of ran in front of her and distracted her a little bit."
Wednesday's match was played in front of a solid crowd, which had come to see the second-year Salt Lake club and first-year Utah club. Moving forward, everyone involved with the WPSL teams hopes there will be many more games like this in the future.
"It's fun to see people come, and I think next year, there will be more people and it's just gonna grow," said Graham.
e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com