Here’s a recap of the 5A semifinal games held on Tuesday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. This story will be updated with the result of the second game between Olympus and Spanish Fork.
Bountiful 3, Springville 2
Myka Page’s teammates kept chirping at her to shoot the ball throughout the first half of Tuesday’s 5A semifinal.
“I kept getting yelled at by teammates for passing too much,” said the Bountiful junior midfielder.
In the 32nd minute, Page finally relented. With space outside the box, Page cut the ball to left foot and uncorked a powerful shot to level the score with Springville going into halftime.
No. 8 seed Bountiful built on the moment in the second half to pull away from No. 4 Springville for the 3-2 victory at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman to advance to Friday’s state championship.
It’s been 19 years since Bountiful last won a state championship in 2006, but this Friday will be the program’s third appearance in the final in the last four years.
“I’m just so proud of these girls. They played so well for four straight years, and it’s so exciting for them to get back again and hopefully get over the top. We know it’ll be a tough one Friday, no matter who it is, but grateful for the opportunity,” said Bountiful co-head coach Kris Hamlet.
Izzy Hill delivered the game winner for Bountiful in the 55th minute on a shot just outside the box, as all three semifinal goals for the RedHawks came from outside the box. It was Hill’s fourth goal of the season.
“She’s (usually) left with a little more space because of teams paying attention to Myka and Belle (Sorensen) and every time they give her space, she seems to come through. And today she definitely did with the game winner — set herself up in a good position and put it away,” said Hamlet.
Bountiful will meet the winner of the Olympus-Spanish Fork game in Friday’s semifinal at 2 p.m. at America First Field.
A tactical switch at halftime helped push Bountiful into the final.
Throughout the back-and-forth first half, Hamlet felt with the formations both teams were employing that Bountiful was getting outplayed in the middle. Springville’s extra player in the midfield allowed the Red Devils to win second balls more frequently and play through the middle too easily.
It helped Sage Conrad and Adalie Dodd score 10 minutes apart in the opening 17 minutes of the game as Springville grabbed an early 2-1 lead by cancelling out a third-minute goal from Bountiful’s Emmy Sorensen.
At halftime with the game level, Bountiful’s coaches instructed their players to come out in the second half and play more compact in the midfield. It made an immediate impact in limiting Springville’s space, and conversely giving Bountiful more time on the ball.
“When we were playing with less midfielders, it felt like they were breaking us really easily, so compacting it, it felt like we were the better team, winning it over and over again and then getting it high and getting more chances,” said Page.
Hamlet acknowledged that while the tactics made a difference in the second half for Bountiful, just as much of it had to do with an uptick in effort.
Page’s goal shortly before halftime helped reset Bountiful’s mindset.
“When I scored, I feel like everyone was like, we’re not losing this game. And then just started pushing as hard as they could. And we just started keeping the ball better and moving it quicker,” said Page.
Olympus 2, Spanish Fork 1
Adrie Pulver was a role player on Olympus’ march to the 5A state championship a year ago as she dealt with injuries to both ankles.
Fast forward to this season, Pulver has played a huge role in Olympus’ success all year, and her performance Tuesday is a big reason the Titans are one win away from a repeat state championship.
The senior scored both goals for No. 2 seed Olympus on Tuesday as it slipped past No. 3 seed Spanish Fork for the 2-1 win at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
Pulver also scored Olympus’ lone goal in last week’s quarterfinal win over Brighton, and now has 10 goals heading into Friday’s championship against No. 8 seed Bountiful — a team it beat twice during region play.
“It’s so fun to score obviously, but my teammates were the ones that helped me get there, and they’re the ones that pump me up,” said Pulver. “Our defense is so good getting the balls out, and I think knowing that my team’s behind me, that’s what pumps me up.”
Pulver scored her first goal midway through the first half, and then after Spanish Fork tied it up just before halftime, Pulver scored what proved to be the game winner early in the second half.
“She is so dynamic with the ball, and her shot is just lethal, that having her up top and firing at all cylinders, that is a huge asset for our team. We rely on that for from her,” said Olympus coach Jamie Evans.
A year ago, Pulver suffered a pretty serious right ankle injury in comp soccer before the season, and just as the season was getting started she injured her left ankle. She ultimately played in about half the games as a sub, scoring one goal. They were modest contributions compared to what she might’ve been able to offer if healthy.
“And last year, I just wasn’t in the right headspace. And this year, it’s been a lot easier to kind of step up where I want to when I’m fully healthy,” said Pulver.
In Tuesday’s semifinal, Olympus struck first in the 28th minute as Pulver unspooled a shot just inside the box for the 1-0 lead. The goal came after sustained pressure from the Titans on their attack.
Shortly before halftime though, the entire complexion of the match changed after Spanish Fork’s Kylie Harris tapped in her sixth goal of the season to level the score 1-1.
Reese Harding took the initial point-blank shot after redirecting the deep free kick, but Olympus keeper Greta Gardner did well to turn it away. The rebound trickled to Gardner’s left toward the goal line, and Harris smashed it home for the tying goal.
At the half, Evans reminded her team that type of free kick should never drop in the box.
“That’s what the message was, you got to be willing to be in there every time and win those balls out of the air every time,” said Evans.
Olympus was worried about Spanish Fork’s speed up top heading into the game, but it was a set piece that ultimately got them.
It didn’t take long for the Titans to regain the lead early in the second half as Pulver uncorked a 25-yard right-footed shot from the left edge of the box, up and over Spanish Fork’s keeper for the 2-1 left.
She scored from a similar spot with her left foot in the quarterfinal win over Brighton.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re dominating the whole game if you don’t finish the ball. I was trying to shoot as much as I can get up the field,” said Pulver.
Olympus beat Bountiful 4-2 and then 5-2 in their two region meetings this season, but Evans expects a tighter battle in Friday’s championship at 2 p.m. at America First Field in Sandy.
“It’s gonna be a great game. They’re a possession-style team as well. So I think we’re going to have a great game of soccer,” said Evans.