A sudden-death semifinal win in extra time over Rowland Hall Monday likely gave Real Salt Lake Academy and its supporters a few early gray hairs, but in Tuesday afternoon’s championship match against Waterford, the Griffins atoned for any grief the semifinal game may have caused.
With a final scoreline of 6-1, Real Salt Lake Academy cruised to a 2A championship victory over Waterford at Rio Tinto Stadium, putting the icing on a dominant final stretch of the season. Over their last 10 games, the Griffins outscored their opponents by a combined score 75-2.
RSL Academy head coach Oli Brittain said the scare his team experienced in the semifinal fueled them to the championship game blowout.
“Getting that out of the way yesterday made today a lot easier,” Brittain said. “We were a lot calmer, we kind of knew what to expect and we played very well today.”
Six different players found their way onto the scoresheet for RSL Academy, including the starting goalkeeper, JC Sanchez, who converted a penalty kick with just six minutes left in the game.
“JC, I think, is our only player who had not yet scored this season, so we wanted to send him off with a bang,” Brittain said before getting drenched by an ice-cold cooler full of water.
Even though the Griffins were up three goals at the point of the penalty try and had already virtually sealed the game up, Sanchez said the moment will be at the top of the list when it comes to his favorite soccer moments.
“It felt so good,” Sanchez said after the game. “It feels like I’ve won the World Cup and I scored the winning goal. It’s just an unreal moment and it’s just an incredible feeling.”
In addition to Sanchez, Noe VanDamme, Paul Kim, Ezies Landa, Alex Morales and Jordan Martinez all contributed goals to secure the championship trophy. Waterford’s goal came from senior David Paul in the 67th minute and ended up being the only blemish on what was a nearly flawless game from the Griffins.
Although all goals were beautifully executed, the goals from Landa and VanDamme were the cream of the crop. Landa’s goal was a perfectly executed chip shot from outside of the box when he caught Waterford’s keeper creeping off his line, and VanDamme’s goal was a screamer from about 10 yards outside of the box that pinged off the left post and into the back of the goal.
The Griffins were able to score six goals despite not receiving any goals from their leading goal scorer, senior Shawn Curtis, who instead took on a distributor role, recording four assists in the game.
Curtis said that chemistry has been the key for his team’s explosive attack that has averaged 7.5 goals during its 10-game win streak.
“We have a really good bond,” Curtis said of the Griffins. “When one player gets the ball, we’re ready and aware of where he’s going to want or expect us to be, so we’re already heading there before we even get the ball.”
The chemistry was on display the full 80 minutes, as RSL Academy routinely played through-balls to players that were making well-timed runs to get behind Waterford’s backline.
Given the tear that the Griffins had been on of late, the win seemed like the most appropriate finish to the season. The players said after the game that they felt the win was going to generate positive buzz surrounding their program.
“It feels like I’ve won the World Cup and I scored the winning goal. It’s just an unreal moment and it’s just an incredible feeling.” — RSL Academy goalkeeper JC Sanchez
“With this win, we become a higher rank and a bigger name,” Sanchez said. “Other students and other players will come and will develop in our program. It’s very good progress for our team and for our school.”
Curtis said the win was the perfect way to conclude his high school soccer career, especially given the problems the pandemic presented last season.
“It feels pretty amazing honestly,”Curtis said. “We did well last year with our games, but still, COVID kind of messed that up, so this year we were determined to make a statement because we had the opportunity this time.”
That statement was assuredly noted throughout the state when the final whistle was blown and Real Salt Lake Academy players hoisted the trophy above their heads.