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SANDY — Juan Diego senior Brandon Sands knew he only needed one chance to score and give the Soaring Eagle a good shot at its first Class 3A boys soccer state title.
With a defense that’s only allowed five goals all season, he had reason to be confident.
Sands’ goal off a free kick just over 30 minutes into the match gave Juan Diego all the scoring it needed, and the Soaring Eagle held on for a 1-0 victory to cap an undefeated season with a championship Saturday at Alta High School.
“I knew once we got a goal, we could win the game,” Sands said. “Our defense is so amazing, and their goalie is awesome.
“We’ve gotten to the semis for two years, and haven’t gotten past it. Now we finally did — and we’re undefeated. It’s awesome.”
The Soaring Eagle (18-0) allowed just one goal in the postseason, outscoring its opponents 11-1. The only goal allowed by the defense came during a 6-1 win over Union in the opening round of the playoffs.
First-year right back Alex Saunders heralded a standout backline that tied a state record for fewest goals in a season with Brighton in 2006 and Bonneville in 2004.
“Our guys can get it done back there,” Juan Diego coach Scott Platz said. “We gave up too many set pieces in the second half; that was really dangerous. We gave up too many opportunities, and got a little overanxious to get into tackles.
“But part of that is because they are such good, technical ball-handlers that (Snow Canyon) made us look stupid a couple of times and we committed some silly fouls.”
Snow Canyon (15-5-1) came into its first state final in school history riding a wave of defense. The Region 9 champion Warriors rode two shutouts in three games, an 8-0 win over Richfield and a 1-0 clipping of Logan in the semifinals, while outscoring opponents 15-1.
But the finishing touch never came in the final — in large part thanks to Juan Diego goalkeeper Martin Kelly.
The sophomore backstop faced tremendous pressure in the final 10 minutes, fending off six attacks after the 70th minute, including a 79th-minute punch save that he tipped over the bar to keep the clean sheet.
“Marty’s been great all year,” said Platz, who said the final-minute save "was in." “I think a lot of people point to him being Mr. Stalwart. He’s got a great defense in front of them, but he makes the big save when we need him to make a big save.
“That was the biggest save of his career.”
After four-straight trips to the state semifinals or beyond, the Soaring Eagle finally held on for the first state title in Platz’s 10-year career at the school. The emotional coach stepped back, taking in the surreal celebrations of his players around him.
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Daniel Beesley exploded with a first-half hat trick — three goals inside the opening 15 minutes — and the Ravens cruised to their sixth boys soccer state championship with a 6-0 rout of first-time finalist Wasatch Academy on Saturday at Alta High School.“It feels good to finally break through, and this is the group to do it,” Platz said. “Our seniors are really, really special. They are talented soccer players; nine kids we’re going to miss personality-wise and soccer-wise.”
