Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SANDY — Lone Peak’s girls soccer team entered Friday afternoon’s Class 5A state title match with an unblemished 19-0 record and a national record.
And nine minutes into it, Regyn Youngberg threw it away.
Youngberg and Olivia Wade each scored a goal as Davis held off the Knights 2-1 on Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium to claim its first state title since 1995.
“It’s so surreal,” said Youngberg, a Weber State commit. “I cannot believe that we’ve finally won a state championship after 19 years.”
Youngberg opened the scoring in the ninth minute, redirecting a cross from Utah commit Ireland Dunn from the center of the box and straight into the top shelf as the Darts (17-3) put Lone Peak in a halftime deficit for the first time this season.
“She’s a big-time fighter,” Davis coach Souli Phongsavath said of Youngberg. “She’s not super fast, and she’s a little undersized, but the ball gets it with her. She’s got good skill and a great mentality. She’s always fighting.”
Dunn and Youngberg had practiced the play thousands of times in practice, but it had never come out in a match — until the moment that mattered most in their season.
“It’s the best feeling, when you practice so hard on one thing, and then you finally get something out of it,” Dunn said. “You know how hard you worked for it.”
But Lone Peak (19-1) didn't go away quietly. Kate Gurney put a free kick into the box into the box in the 35th minute, and TJ McKendrick saw her free-kick effort headed over the bar in the 48th minute.
Youngberg helped the Darts to a 2-0 advantage four minutes later. The junior forward was taken down in the left corner of the box while doubling back on the counter, landing awkwardly on her hip and forcing a penalty kick for Davis’ second goal.
Freshman Olivia Wade stepped to the spot and converted for the advantage.
“We were super confident coming in,” Wade said. “We knew Lone Peak was undefeated, and we had to step it up. They played a great game, and we had to take it to them.”
The Knights threw everything forward in the final 20 minutes. Lone Peak’s Natalie Lewis pulled one back in the 63rd minute, drilling a right-footed shot across the face of the goal and sneakily inside the far post after Cameron Tucker set her up.
“Lone Peak is a great team,” Phongsavath said. “I told their coach if we played five more times, I don’t know what would happen. We just did what we did, we got the breaks a little bit this time, and my hat’s off to them.”
Siri Dahl’s free kick from next to the touchline about 20 yards out flew at the goal mouth, but took a last-second swerve to hit the near-side netting in the 72nd minute.
Davis boarded a bus in Kaysville and traveled behind a fire-truck escort, balloon-lined streets and a groundswell of support from the community en route to the home of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake. But the return trip will be even better, Dunn said.
“We knew we were state champs,” she said of the final countdown. “Best feeling ever. We’re going to be pumping.”
After the celebrations, Davis will prepare to defend its state title with a squad that could feature as many as 32 returning players from 2014, including all three players who led to the Darts’ goals and complete-game goalkeeper Abbie O’Brien.
In other words, friends, Youngberg said.
“We all love each other, and we’ll do whatever it takes to win for each other,” she added. “The players go out there, and we win and we fight for each other.”
Contributing: Jeremiah Jensen
