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DRAPER — In four years as Rowland Hall boys soccer’s starting goalkeeper, senior John Dreyfous has wanted to go to one place that’s eluded him: the state championship game.
He’ll get that chance Saturday.
Trey Provost and Jesus Lamas scored a goal in each half, and Dreyfous kept his third-straight shutout of the postseason in leading the Winged Lions to a 2-0 win over Beaver in Friday night’s Class 2A state semifinal at Juan Diego Catholic High School.
“It’s the first time in my four years as a starting keeper,” said Dreyfous, whose team has outscored opponents 9-0 in the postseason. “It feels good to play for a state title and try to bring a title back to my school.”
The Winged Lions (15-3) will face the winner of Layton Christian (17-0) and Waterford (16-1) in the 2A championship at 7:30 p.m. MT Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. It will be Rowland Hall’s first title match appearance since losing to Waterford in 2014.
Provost gave the Winged Lions (15-3) the early lead, burying a worm-burner of a shot underneath the goalkeeper around the half-hour mark.
Provost nearly doubled the advantage just two minutes later, but his shot from 20 yards out hit the top side of the crossbar as it sailed out of play. Rowland Hall out-shot Beaver 7-0 in the first half, allowing Provost’s goal to hold up for the 1-0 lead at halftime.
“I had space at the top of the box, and took the shot,” Provost said. “I thought it was going to miss, but it slipped through. It wasn’t the best goal, but I’ll take it.”
Lamas struck for Rowland Hall just four minutes into the second half, doubling the Winged Lions’ advantage and sending them to their first state championship since 2014.
Issac Ornelas had the Beavers’ best chance of the game, but his header off a corner kick from the left side sailed over the crossbar in the 56th minute.
Beaver (10-3) had seven free kicks in their offensive third, but Rowland Hall defense squelched each attempt and cleared the danger by the time it got to Dreyfous, who made one clearance with his feet.
“I have so much confidence in my four guys in the back,” Dreyfous said. “The lock it down, and my job is to make a play when it gets through them.
“It doesn’t happen very often, so it makes me pretty happy.”
Waterford 0, Layton Christian 0 (Waterford advances on shootout, 4-3)
At Juan Diego, Alex Aguirre converted the game-clinching penalty kick for the Ravens after both teams played to a scoreless draw.
Sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Lopez stopped two penalty kicks for Waterford (16-1-1), which set up the all-Region 16 title match at 7:30 p.m. MT Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman after Layton Christian (17-0-1) finished the regular season unbeaten.
