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SANDY — For the first time in the 4A state playoffs, Ogden High gave up a goal Thursday afternoon.
For the third straight time in the playoffs, though, the top-seeded Tigers didn't give up the win.
Celine Buttars scored the game-wining goal in the 74th minute as Ogden advanced to its second straight state championship with a 2-1 win over Crimson Cliffs at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"We haven't had to play a tight game for a really long time," Ogden coach Ben Robinson said. "That was good for the girls; I think it showed a lot of character. They worked hard, and found a way to get another."
Tori Kalista gave the Tigers (18-1) a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute, slicing through the Mustang defense to poke a shot into the lower left corner for the early advantage. Ogden outshot Crimson Cliffs early, 3-1, and took the one-goal advantage into halftime.
"Our team kept building and building," Kalista said. "But we were losing the ball a lot; I honestly think it was a very lucky goal."
But the Mustangs didn't sit back for long.
After pushing forward as through most of the match — the Mustangs dribbled into three of their four corner kicks in the second half — Crimson Cliff (12-8) earned a penalty with a handball in the box in the 63rd minute.
That's when Allie Blanchard stepped up and calmly buried a goal down the middle of the chute, tying the match at 1-1 with less than 20 minutes remaining.
And yet, despite giving up a goal for the first time since an 8-1 win Sept. 15 over Stansbury, the Tigers didn't panic.
"Once they scored that goal, we realized it's not over," Kalista said. "We can't back off — we were tied, and our mentality switched from being ahead by one to losing. Then we were able to put a lot of pressure on the ball."
After putting a pair of quick shots on target, Abby Beus forced a turnover near the edge of the box. She then took a look at a shot from the corner of the 6-yard box, before delivering a centering pass to Buttars for the game-winner.
"They're a great group. The senior class has opened their arms to all the younger girls," Robinson said. "We talk a lot about being obviously unselfish, like doing things that people notice we move the ball because it's almost uncommon. But they're a very great group, kind, and honestly, one of the best groups I've been a part of."
Ridgeline 1, Pine View 0
Adeline Fiefia scored the lone goal of the match on a scramble in the box, and Ridgeline outshot Pine View 19-5 to hold on for a 1-0 win and advance to Friday's 4A championship in the later semifinal at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Sophomore Alivia Brenchley made two saves to earn the shutout for Ridgeline (14-6), which advanced to face Ogden in a rematch of last year's 4A title match.
Ridgeline outshot the Panthers 8-0 early as the Riverhawks searched for the early goal. But that early goal came after a huddle of four players gathered near the goal line, trying to put the ball past the Pine View goalkeeper, Kayley Eaton, and her defense.
First there was a shot from the end line by Tenzi Knowles. Then a pair of follow-up shots, both stopped in front of goal. But neither the keeper nor the post could keep Fiefia from pushing the ball over the line and lifting the Riverhawks to a 1-0 halftime lead.
Ridgeline pushed for a second goal through the second half, when Tiffany Enamorado put a shot off the crossbar and Oakley Rasmussen saw her attempt from an awkward angle saved by Eaton.
But the Pine View senior keeper made seven saves on 19 shots faced to keep the game to one goal.
Ridgeline will face Ogden in the 4A state championship Friday at 2 p.m. The match will be followed by the 5A title match between Olympus and Bonneville at 5 p.m. MT, and the 6A title match between American Fork and Davis at 8 p.m. MT. Every game will be streamed on live.ksl.com.
