High school girls soccer: Corner Canyon evades a Copper Hills comeback in penalty kicks

Corner Canyon had Copper Hills on the ropes after scoring a go-ahead goal in the 70th minute, but the Chargers got into trouble as a last-second Copper Hills goal tied the game

The Chargers ultimately held on for a 3-1 shootout victory to take its second win of the season over Copper Hills Tuesday evening.

The last time Corner Canyon and Copper Hills played, the Chargers also pulled out a narrow win with a golden goal in double overtime.

It was an important win for Corner Canyon, who now stays in the race for the Region 2 title with Copper Hills and Mountain Ridge.

“We knew it was going to be a tough one because the only (in region) loss was against us on their field, so they came for revenge,” said Corner Canyon head coach Fode Doumbia. “We knew we needed to win this game to keep the race going and we knew it was going to be a tough one.”

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It took 70 minutes for the 0-0 tie to be broken as both defenses were determined to hold on. The game got chippier as time expired with both teams desperate to win in regulation.

Alice Peterson placed a ball perfectly for Channing Wuest to capitalize and placed the ball in the net for the 1-0 lead.

“Me and Alice, like all of our forwards, just kept trying to get goals,” said Wuest. “So, when I saw Alice had the ball, I knew she’s good at just flicking it on. I made the run and then she just played the perfect ball.”

With how defensively heavy Tuesday’s game was, it seemed like Corner Canyon’s single goal would be enough to defeat the Grizzlies. However, Sydney Torres had something to say.

Torres has been one of the best players in the state so far this season. She is tied with Syracuse’s Abbey Affleck for the most goals in 6A with 17 this season, but Torres is also second in 6A this year for assists with 11.

So, when Torres had a free kick from 30-yards out with only 40 seconds left in regulation, Doumbia knew his team was in trouble.

“We knew they have very strong shooters with strong legs, and I was worried the whole game for the long shots,” Doumbia said. “When they had that shot, I said, ‘if it’s on frame it’s going in.’ It was a beautiful shot, it was great and difficult to stop.”

Torres nailed the free kick to push the game to overtime, just like the last meeting between Copper Hills and Corner Canyon. Neither defenses gave up any ground in either overtime period which pushed the game to a shootout.

As Corner Canyon keeper Hagen Haycock stepped up to face her first shot, Copper Hills sent out Torres to be their first shooter.

Haycock lunged to her right and blocked Torres’ shot, immediately giving Corner Canyon the 1-0 advantage.

“Coach told me, ‘We believe in you like no other. Just get on the ground and you got this,’ said Haycock. “So, I went out there, I guessed right, and I got there. I saw it coming and I knew I was going to get there.”

Haycock didn’t stop there, she blocked another shot and ultimately only allowed a single goal in the penalty shootout. Corner Canyon retaliated with three shootout goals for the 3-1 shootout win over Copper Hills.

“Hagen is great,” said Doumbia. “She’s a captain and she’s showing people that she is great not only in PK’s, but also during the game. She does great and she’s always pushing the team and she really believes in us.”

The win pushed Corner Canyon into a stronger position in region 2 and faces Herriman on Thursday. The Chargers lost in a close 5-4 penalty shootout against the Mustangs earlier this season.