High school girls soccer: Literal last-second goal lifts Lone Peak past Corner Canyon in region opener

Tuesday’s game between Region 3 rivals Lone Peak and Corner Canyon was really a game of inches. It stayed scoreless through nearly all 100 minutes of the double overtime game, and penalty kicks loomed as seemingly the only way to break the stalemate.

However, the Knights caught a break and saw a chance to end it early on a free kick about five yards out of the box with just seven seconds left.

While the set piece was a solid opportunity to score, Corner Canyon’s defense had been relentless all afternoon. The Chargers’ backline played especially well, and keeper Olivia Edwards had plenty of saves to keep Lone Peak scoreless.

But when Lone Peak sophomore Katherine Mason stepped up to take the kick, she had a choice to make: should she shoot the ball or find a teammate to finish it?

Mason saw an opening and chose the latter, which paid off as Ava Scoville got a head on it for the golden goal victory.

“To be honest, I was going to shoot, but I saw that Corner Canyon’s players were in a perfect position,” Mason said. “They were just sitting in an area that I knew if I just lofted it into the area, that one of my players was going to be on the end of it, and Ava did it.”

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It was a major breakthrough for Lone Peak after struggling all game with finishing through the stout Corner Canyon defense. The Knights even had a chance to score on an open net in the second half after Edwards came out to stop a ball, but Corner Canyon’s Clair Call was there with a header to save the day.

It was just that kind of game. Lone Peak had chances, but the Chargers’ defense played well enough to stop it.

That made it all the sweeter for Scoville when she saw the ball hit the back of the net. Not only was it the game-winning goal, but it was her first-ever varsity goal.

“It just feels amazing,” Scoville said. “There’s so much buildup and back and forth to get to the goal. Their keeper is just really good, and we had so many opportunities, but they had good saves. (Mason) played the perfect ball, and it was just amazing.”

It was especially cathartic for Lone Peak because of how the season started. The Knights had a brutal schedule, with games against Park City, Green Canyon, Ridgeline and Crimson Cliffs.

While it’s a task fit for a three-time champion, Lone Peak struggled and started the season 1-3.

Since then, the Knights have won six consecutive games, including Tuesday’s clutch region-opening win.

“We had a little bit of a rougher start to this year, but the girls, they’ve adjusted to the changes we’ve made,” said Lone Peak head coach Shantel Jolley. “They really responded to the adversity. They’ve really responded to the mental toughness that I’ve challenged them with.

“They did a great job today. We didn’t let them get down, and it was great to see them fight through all the way to literally the last second.”