High school boys soccer: Maeser Prep, American Heritage take momentum into 2A title game after semifinal wins

Maeser Prep pulled out a dramatic 3-2 win over St. Joseph on Thursday to punch its ticket to the 2A boys soccer championship match.

The Lions nearly struck early in the seventh minute with a header that rattled off the crossbar.

Just six minutes later, they broke through: two sharp passes from the left corner set up a strike from the penalty spot from Tyler Reedy to give Maeser a 1-0 lead. Energized by their roaring crowd, the Lions held off a St. Joseph push to maintain the advantage into halftime.

“I looked over at my teammate and we made eye contact, he passed it over to me and I was able to score the goal,” Reedy said. “Our crowd is amazing, it really pushes us. We have a great culture. Our past players are big motivations for us.”

Early in the second half, Maeser Prep nearly doubled its lead with a shot from 15 yards out on the left side, but a diving save by the St. Joseph keeper kept it a one-goal game.

St. Joseph found the equalizer in the 55th minute when a fortunate bounce sparked chaos in front of the goal, and Alex Hernandez calmly slotted the ball home to tie it up.

Maeser had chances to pull back in front, including a missed final pass in the 59th minute that led to a shot sailed over the bar.

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The decisive moment came in the 74th minute when Maeser Prep’s pressure forced a St. Joseph defender into a mistake. Matty Simmons pounced on the fumbled ball and tapped it in for the game-winning goal.

Maeser Prep added insurance on a late counterattack with just over a minute left, while St. Joseph converted a penalty with 22 seconds remaining to narrow the final score to 3-2.

“Our homefield is really small, so coming to these bigger fields is awesome for us because it opens things up. We can get wide, get to the endline, and cut it across,” Maeser Prep coach Dustin Simmons said on his team’s play at Zion’s Bank Stadium.

He continued on the game-deciding goal, “Our goal is to run a hard and high press. Jack did a great job pressing and Matty was right there to help. We talk a lot about finishing the play. With the bigger field we get a little tired, but we try to force and then capitalize on mistakes.“

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In the second semifinal, American Heritage wasted no time taking control of the match against Grand County, striking in the opening minutes to grab a quick 1-0 lead.

The early goal came from Alex Bay. After a few nice crosses allowed him to get into space, he slid an easy ball past the goalkeeper, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Patriots kept the pressure on, using their speed on the wings and crisp passing to keep Grand pinned back in its own half.

The breakthrough continued in the 23rd minute when Cove Hansen connected on a cross into the middle of the box. After a couple of deflections and second efforts, Hansen was able to beat the keeper and extend the lead to 2-0.

From there, American Heritage settled into a confident rhythm, controlling possession and keeping the Red Devils from generating many dangerous chances.

“We have a big goal to win a championship, but you have to take it step-by-step, you have to celebrate those little steps. All of those steps add up to the whole. We try to celebrate every moment, every success even if it is just a good cross or a good shot. Even if we lose when we play well, we are going to celebrate,” American Heritage coach Jose Milla Garcia said on the spirit and joy his team plays with.

Weston Larson recorded his 10th shutout of the season before checking out to an ovation with just over a minute left, after taking off his gloves to reveal a yellow wristband he pointed at.

“Will Sanders tore his meniscus early in the season and Everton Hughes broke his tibia. Sanders is our best defender and Hughes our second-leading goal scorer. Both had injuries you’d never want. The first letters of their names together spell out W-E. That has become a team motto for us, that we play as one and we play together. So I wear a wristband to remember that,” said Larson, reflecting on the meaning it brings to him and his teammates.

No. 1 Maeser Prep (16-3) will face No. 2 American Heritage (14-2) on Saturday at America First Field at 2 p.m. The Patriots lead the state — across all classifications — in goals scored with 90, while the Lions are close behind at No. 2 with 84. Maeser Prep won the regular-season matchup 4-2 in late March.