Ogden’s boys soccer team wrapped up a dream season in dramatic fashion at America First Field on Saturday afternoon.
Jace Rodriguez tapped home his own rebounded penalty kick in the 75th minute, and Ogden’s defense closed up shop the rest of the way as the Tigers prevailed 2-1 to repeat as 3A state champs — this season with a perfect 18-0 record.
“Back to back is incredible, I’m out of words, I’m so emotional,” said Ogden coach Todd Scott.
Rodriguez’s game winner was his 23rd goal of the season, and his 49th in the past two seasons for the Tigers.
“It means everything. This is my family. It’s our family. Before and after every game we cheer family for each other, because we all love each other, and just to go back to back for the first time in Ogden history shows how much of a family we really are,” said Rodriguez.
The title was the fifth in school history, including the past two.
Ogden knew Saturday’s final was going to be a battle despite beating Morgan in both region games. It needed overtime to beat Morgan the first meeting, even though it won the second matchup more comfortably, 3-0.
“Playing any team three times, especially a region rival, is going to be tough, but my boys were resilient and dug deep and got the job done. So proud of my boys,” said Scott.
Ogden opened the scoring in the 25th minute with two moments of individual skill by Luis Velasco and Gerardo Esquivel.
On a Morgan throw-in 80 yards from goal, Esquivel aggressively stepped in to win the ball away from a Trojans winger, and then dribbled past another player before playing a ball 30 yards upfield to the feet of Esquivel.
With his back to goal, the senior Esquivel took a quick touch to his right before cutting it back to his left and getting past Morgan’s defender.
With options to his left and right and a Morgan defender in front of him, Esquivel took a couple dribbles before unspooling a 25-yard blast that slipped past the keeper and into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
“I knew what I can do, decided to turn and try, and if you don’t try you’re never going to get it,” said Esquivel.
Ogden was less than a minute from taking the all-important lead into halftime, but a perfect cross and header from Morgan in the 40th minute changed all that.
Brody Kinney whipped a cross near the endline to Luke Francis, who elevated to head in the equalizer and the teams trotted into the locker room knotted up 1-1.
Morgan had the benefit of the wind at its back, and Rodriguez said that with its extra player in the midfield, Ogden’s midfielders started to tire a bit in the second half.
Ogden’s game plan was to keep the ball wide and try and get Morgan’s midfield fatigued by running on the extra large width of Real Salt Lake’s home field.
It didn’t exactly unfold how the Tigers had hoped.
“Most of our midfield was tired during the game. They kind of outworked us in the middle. They had an extra man so we’re kind of running around, but in the end, midfielders pushed through, and they worked through it going back to back,” said Rodriguez.
Morgan had several chances in the second half to try and score the go-ahead goal, including a long-range shot that hit the post, but couldn’t capitalize.
Ogden eventually did five minutes from the final whistle after a penalty kick was awarded.
Rodriguez earned the PK on a long diagonal ball into the box that he got a slight touch on with just head a fraction of a second before Morgan’s keeper could punch it away.
Even though the Rodriguez header rolled harmlessly wide of the post, the ref deemed that Morgan’s keeper tripped him up in the split second after the header as he didn’t hesitate pointing to the spot.
It was a soft penalty by Morgan’s standards, but a penalty nonetheless with Rodriguez taking the PK himself.
Morgan keeper Ronan Ratchford made the initial save on the PK, with the ball popping straight up about 20 feet. Before Ratchford could get back up on his feet to punch it away though, Rodriguez raced to the goal line and tapped in the game winner.
“I always wait a sec after the whistle is blown, take my time, breath a sec, and a lot of these boys kind of watch me play comp soccer, and they know which way I go on my PKs so he kind of was in my head a little bit.
“But luckily it bounced up and I got to it and tied to stay composed and kept it down, so I didn’t sky it and it worked out,” said Rodriguez.
After helping his team to its first back-to-back titles in school history, the junior Rodriguez returns next year to try to help the Tigers to a 3-peat.