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SANDY — The play was executed so perfectly, it looked like it was drawn up.
It wasn't — but Olympus' girls soccer team will take the final result.
Oteta Kitiona scored a second-half goal off Niece Gubler's set piece, and the Titans held off Murray 2-1 Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"Fifi's so creative in what she does," Olympus head coach Jamie Evans said of her 5-foot-4 defender. "We didn't specifically draw that play up, but Niece always plays it in the perfect spot — so realistically, we should score on every set piece.
"She's just so creative at finding ways to get in."
Olympus came charging out of the gates and opened the scoring just 12 minutes into the match when Lily Webster's shot from the edge of the penalty area struck the underside of the crossbar before finding the back of the net.
The senior forward scored her 19th goal of the season, tied for the Titans' team lead, and Olympus posted four shots before the Spartans' first — a counter-attacking strike from Sammie Sofonia that goalkeeper Callie Droitsch came out and punched away near the half-hour mark.
"I know our team is built so that if we can get on the board first, we've got a great, solid defense," Evans said. "If we can get on the board quickly, it just sets us up for success so much better."
Sofonia found her mark just after the break, though, when the junior forward ripped a right-footed shot from distance that scorched the back of the nets to equalize, 1-1 in the 47th minute.
Kitiona gave the lead back to Olympus just seven minutes later, though. The spritely defender barreled forward during a set piece and finished off Gubler's well-struck free kick from 35 yards away that was set up by Emma Neff's header to put the advantage squarely on the Titans' shoulders.
"Emma headed the ball on, and she'll get her head on any ball — so we just want her any time in the box," Evans said.
Olympus (18-2) advanced to face Bonneville in Friday's championship match, searching for the Titans' first title since winning the then-4A championship in 1996.
"These girls have the skill," Evans said. "They have the ability to win it all. Now it's just mentally playing like they can, and stepping on the field knowing they can."
Bonneville 2, Skyline 0
In the other semifinal, Bonneville's girls remembered well last year's 5A championship — losing to Skyline 2-1 as the Eagles vaporized a 14-year title drought and raised the championship trophy over Rio Tinto Stadium.
Same field. Same opponent.
The Lakers knew just what to do.
Summer Diamond and Sadie Beardall scored a goal in either half, and No. 2-seeded Bonneville advanced to consecutive title matches with a 2-0 win over Skyline on Tuesday afternoon.
"They all work together," Bonneville coach Gavin Garside said. "But there's a little more weight on those two shoulders.
"There's really not one recipe that works for us. Just whatever you can make happen, it works. The girls work hard, and they get it done."
Diamond opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark, when the sophomore scored a sensational shot from distance that led to the Lakers' 1-0 halftime lead. Sophomore classmate Beardall doubled the advantage in the 65th minute, flicking a shot from the edge of the penalty area that glanced off a pair of keeper mitts and into the top shelf to give Bonneville (17-2) the 2-0 advantage.
Diamond nearly added another in the 70th minute. But her well-struck counter attack was deftly saved to keep the deficit low for the Eagles (16-4).
Unlike a year earlier, Bonneville knew just what to do. The Lakers rode out a strong possession game, only allowing three shots on goal to collect the shutout for goalkeeper Abree Beardall.
"Last year, we fell short in the second overtime — and we have a young team. All of those girls remembered it," Garside said. "They didn't want it to happen again to the same team.
"It was definitely an extra motivator, for sure."
