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SANDY — Ryan Arevalo barely had time to react.
Midway through the first half of Saturday’s Class 2A boys soccer state final, the Layton Christian junior took a through ball from teammate Sebastian Oliver and weaved toward the South Summit goal.
With the Wildcat defense bearing down on him fast, he quickly wound up and released a shot on target.
Click. Bang. Swish.
Arevalo’s lone goal about 20 minutes into the match proved to be the game winner, and Layton Christian’s defense did the rest in a 1-0 win over South Summit for the Eagles’ first 2A boys soccer championship in school history at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“I kicked it right over when keeper when the defense was running at me,” Arevalo said. “It was a really fun goal. I was really excited; it was a state final goal, so it was way exciting.”
The Eagles, who entered the tournament as the 2A North’s No. 2 seed, outshot the Wildcats 15-4 in the opening 40 minutes, then peppered South Summit’s goal with 13 shots after the break.
Layton Christian had as many shots on goal (six) in the first half as South Summit put up in the game’s entirety.
Still, Layton Christian coach Chris Tatro couldn’t relax until the final whistle blew.
“They are a great team; my hat’s off to South Summit,” Tatro said. “They were pressing us for the last 10 minutes, and we were doing everything we could to just hold on. But our kids showed up to play, and I couldn’t be happier about that.”
The Eagles (14-2-1) started possession of the second half with an attacking mentality, forcing as many as four shots on goal in the period’s first 10 minutes. When the ball crossed the midfield line for South Summit, a swarm of Layton Christian defenders were quick to snuff out the chance before more danger ensued.
Were it not for a handful of heroic saves by South Summit goalkeeper Nick Beasley, Layton Christian may have done more. The Wildcat senior made 11 saves to keep the Eagles off the board even further, and LCA forward Marcelo Holanda saw a penalty-kick attempt with about 10 minutes remaining sky over the crossbar.
But the Eagles didn’t panic. On the contrary, they relied on a defense that held opponents to just two goals in the postseason with wins over Wasatch Academy (6-1), Providence Hall (4-0) and Millard (4-1) before Saturday’s final.
“I don’t think I was the difference maker. I think it was the whole team,” Arevalo said. “I played my part, and the team did it all.
“The whole team worked together. The other team did good, but our keeper was on our defense, and the mids, too. Everyone was on their game today.”
FT: @TheLCAEagle 1, @SSHS_Athletics 0. Eagles win their first 2A soccer title in school history. pic.twitter.com/LWqRIar74g
— Sean Walker (@DSeanKSL) May 13, 2017
Layton Christian goalkeeper Davis Bagire made two saves to earn the shutout, but the back-four posted a defensive effort that should lay claim to the goose egg, as well.
“When we play the flat four, we have a really tall, strong defense,” Tatro said. “We got two center mids and a lot of talented kids. Putting them in position where they could play well was key for us. They’re talented, but sometimes they haven’t always put it all together.
“Today our two center backs were amazing.”
LCA held South Summit (15-3) without a shot on frame in the second half until Thomas Kirkham’s attempt kissed the top of the crossbar as it sailed behind the goal and into the north stands at Real Salt Lake’s home stadium.
“This win is huge,” Tatro said. “We’ve been trying to get to this stage for a long time, and we’ve fallen short. There have been some powerhouses for a long time, and they’ve kept us at bay. This year, we broke out.”
