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DRAPER — Skyline’s girls soccer team had been to this stage so many times in recent years, it hurt.
The Eagles weren’t going to let something as trivial as a first-half deficit keep them from marching to their first state title match since 2015.
Zoe Garber, Lily Kimball and Ella Kortbawi each had a goal as Skyline overturned a 1-0 deficit to upend Mountain View 3-1 in the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament Tuesday at Juan Diego Catholic High School.
“We were here the last three years, and we got a weeping,” Skyline coach Yamil Castillo said. “My girls remember what it takes to stay focused. We’ve been confident all year, and we’ve got a team to win it.
“We never quit.”
Mountain View’s Jenny Goodman gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead midway through the first half, slotting home a goal in the 19th minute on one of their only chances before the break.
But the Eagles (18-1-1) responded.
“We started getting momentum, they started making mistakes, and we were on every little mistake,” Skyline forward Ali Swensen said. “We really punished them for it.”
First, Garber finished off a chaotic sequence in the box with seven minutes remaining to force the 1-1 halftime tie.
And after regrouping, Skyline outshot the Bruins 5-2 in the second half to pull away — both from shots set up by Swensen.
“She’s only a sophomore, and she’s our leading scorer. She has amazing talent, and amazing speed,” Castillo said of Swensen. “She has a leg, too. She can shoot.”
Swensen directed a counter attack in the 52nd minute, and though the spritely forward was dispossessed around the edge of the 18, Kimball finished off a left-footed rocket inside the near post for the go-ahead goal.
Swensen added an assist on Kortbawi’s effort with five minutes remaining to seal the deal, 3-1.
“One of the strengths for Skyline is the defense,” Castillo said. “We made a mistake and they scored a goal. But the girls knew what to do; everybody just did their job. We preached to them to attack with three, and that’s when we equalized and got ahead.”
Jensen’s goal ended a magical postseason run for the Bruins (9-8-2), who entered the state tournament as a 16 seed and ended with upsets over Viewmont, Murray and top-seeded Farmington.
But the Bruins’ luck ran out in the second half against the fifth-seeded Eagles, who advanced to the title match since winning it all four years ago.
“This is just a chance, an opportunity for us,” Swensen said. “No one has made it to the finals since before me. But I think we have a pretty good chance.”
Bonneville 2, Maple Mountain 1
At Juan Diego, Gabby Carlson scored her third goal of the season with 31 seconds left in the first extra-time period to lift the Lakers to their second state final in three years.
After both teams combined for 14 shots in the second half, Bonneville took control in the final minutes — including nearly scoring the game-winner in the final seconds of regulation — before the extra period.
But Summer Diamond’s through-ball that found Carlson in the 10th minute of extra time proved to be all Bonneville (16-4) needed to book its trip to Rio Tinto Stadium.
"I've never had more emotions in my life. That was probably the most intense game I’ve ever played in my life," Carlson said. "When everyone tackled me, they yelled, '31 seconds' and I just said, 'What the heck?' I thought we still had three minutes. But I’m never going to forget the number 31."
Elle Burton gave Bonneville a dream start, slotting home a goal on the half-volley just six minutes to put the sixth-seeded Lakers ahead, 1-0.
Bonneville took advantage of Maple Mountain leading scorer Allie Fryer not playing for the first 10 minutes. But moments after the sophomore who entered Tuesday with 34 goals subbed onto the pitch, Fryer had equalized.
It was her first touch of the match, and her shot ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net to tie the match, 1-1. But the Lakers bodied up the sophomore goal-scoring sensation from Maple Mountain (15-4-1) for the rest of the match, and held on for the revenge win after the Golden Eagles’ 2-1 victory in the first game of the season.
"Honestly, I felt the momentum was going our way at the end of regulation — and you ride that freaking wave," Bonneville coach Gavin Garside said. "The girls were playing freaking awesome, and I honestly wasn’t that worried. The momentum was going our way … and we had it the whole freaking overtime."
