Girls soccer playoffs: Ogden streaks into rematch with Morgan for 3A championship
Region 13 foes will settle season series in 3A title game
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- From left Manti’s Chole Olson, Ogden’s Bella Gray, Manti’s Haddie Rasmussen and Ogden’s Elle Weston battle for the ball during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden High players celebrate the first goal scored by Elle Weston (24) during a 3A state soccer semifinal against Manti on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Bella Gray, left, rears back to score her team’s third goal against Manti during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Morgan senior Macie Burton (13) plays the ball off her head during the 3A girls soccer state semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan senior Emma Toone (21) looks for an open teammate during the 3A girls soccer state semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan sophomore Maddie Fisher (24) chases Judge Memorial Catholic’s Callie Lipson (25) to prevent a goal during the 3A girls soccer state semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Bryleigh Thomas (33) works past Manti’s Ella Mayfield during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Capri Colvin (23) outpaces Manti’s Lillian Wasden during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Rikley Moss, left, and Elle Weston, rear, leap to head a corner kick against Manti’s Madelyn Bridges (11) during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Manti’s Brooklyn Olson (30) tries in vain to stop the progress of Ogden’s Abigail Wallis (7) during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden High players celebrate the their third goal, scored by Bella Gray (10), during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Manti’s Karli Tanner (13) attempts to clear the ball away from Ogden’s Kate Pulley during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Elle Weston (24) blocks the pass of Manti’s Aleida Jimenez during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Capri Colvin attempts to keep the ball inbounds during a 3A state soccer semifinal against Manti on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Bella Gray (10) fights off Manti players Cambree Thompson (18) and Chole Olson (20) during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Elle Weston (24) and Manti’s Cambree Thompson compete for the ball during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Seren Gee, right, battles Manti’s Lesli Mireles for control of the ball during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Manti’s Karlee Tanner (13) tries to clear the ball past Ogden’s Megan Beus during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Alina Aparicio (4) and Manti’s Haddie Rasmussen (21) chase the ball during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
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- Ogden’s Alina Aparicio (4) tangles with Manti’s Taylie Mickelsen during a 3A state soccer semifinal Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Herriman.
HERRIMAN — Make no mistake, Ogden earned every bit of its role as a No. 6 seed.
Furthermore, Thursday’s 3-0 shutout over No. 2 Manti in the 3A girls soccer semifinals should tell you nearly everything about the Tigers’ intentions for a repeat.
Ogden (14-7), after a first-round bye, has shut out three consecutive opponents — Delta, Canyon View and now Manti (18-2) – to claim its place in Saturday’s championship match with No. 2 Morgan for a rematch of last year’s finale.
Elle Weston delivered the afternoon’s first goal, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half. Rejoining the team late this season, Bella Gray kept the pace in the second half, striking the net twice from 30-plus yards with 26 minutes left in regulation.
Gray arrived at what first-year Ogden head coach Alexis King considered a pivotal moment when senior striker Kate Pulley went down with an apparent knee injury during the first half.
“They’re fighters,” King said. “Every time we have setbacks and things, we always come back out and fight and we keep trying to improve no matter what. … The injury with (Pulley) freaked us out a little bit and it just seemed very stressful. We took some deep breaths and reset our mindset and brought our focus back.”
Gray, the older sister to sophomore Sofia Gray, rejoined the Ogden lineup on Senior Night after missing the majority of her final season recovering from a torn labrum (hip) sustained in January.
King said the upperclassman has played a key role in building the Tigers’ confidence under times of duress this postseason.
“Having her back has been a lot of fun,” King said. “One thing throughout the season that’s been hard has been adjusting, but now that we’ve been able to play as a team and connecting, they’re able to shine during these games have those moments like Bella that definitely capitalizes in games.”
Asked about her return, Gray said even a handful of matches alongside her sister, Sofia, was worth the effort of a comeback.
“It started looking good around September,” Gray said. “Towards the beginning of September, I started dialing in. I wanted to play and one of the main reasons was my sister. It’s our last year together and so I wanted to play with her one last time.”
The Tigers bounced back from a 2-6 start to the regular season and became the No. 6 seed, winning six consecutive Region 13 matches to close the season.
Ogden now prepares for a third meeting with rival Morgan on the biggest stage after splitting their regular-season series 1-1.
Gray and her teammates agree: Morgan is the perfect finale.
“I wanted Morgan to be in the final,” Gray said. “The student sections come out, it means more to us.”
Morgan curbs Judge Memorial’s unbeaten streak
As far as season-ending injuries go, you’d least expect such a devastating event to occur during the pregame warmup. But when you’re playing for a seat in the state championship, you’d better improvise.
One such example occurred Thursday when No. 4 Morgan overcame the loss of starting goalkeeper Skye Bernardo and knocked off top seed Judge Memorial 2-1 in the semifinals.
Tabbed mere minutes before kickoff, sophomore Maddie Fisher tended the net for the Trojans (15-5) through all 80 minutes. Judge (16-1) freshman Callie Lipson snuck one ball past Fisher early in the first half but that was the ceiling for the Bulldogs.
Lipson’s goal came in a scenario where Fisher seemingly secured the ball, but ended up a moment shy of making the stop. Searle recalled the scenario, saying Fisher went to grab the ball, and “it hit off somebody’s toe.”
“(Fisher) did incredible,” Searle said. “She gave up the one goal but we’ll live with that. She’s played a little bit all year, but she wasn’t our No. 1. … We trained them to be keepers this year and they’ve turned out really good.”
Morgan’s defense stiffened toward the break, with looks at the net still few and far between. The Trojans broke through late in the first half when a Lacie Poll shot veered off the hands of Judge goalkeeper Lorriane Hyngstrom and into the direction of Kapree Charlton.
Charlton’s late finish rejuvenated the Morgan roster at halftime, Searle said.
“We started to tire out towards the end of the first half,” Searle said. “We said hey, you come in the first 10 minutes of the second half and they’re going to get tired again. Going in 1-1, that’s a game-changer for these players.”
The second half saw Judge pressuring the net right away. The Bulldogs claimed the first four shots at the net, and a pair of corner kicks, to begin the final period.
With 20 minutes to play, Morgan senior Macie Burton received a free kick facing Hyngstrom down the middle from roughly 25 yards. Hyngstrom met Burton’s shot with both hands, deflecting the ball out of play.
Another miss later, Burton picked up another free-kick opportunity with just seven minutes on the clock. Lining up from the right, Burton punched in a 20-yarder to hand the Trojans a late lead with the Bulldogs’ attack now scrambling.
“I think I was just waiting and trying to relax myself,” Burton said. “Just trying to forget about the last one and looking to see where I could put the ball in.”
Judge picked up two scoring opportunities, including another attempt from the corner, during the final minutes but it wasn’t meant to be. Morgan, the team Judge defeated 3-2 during non-region play in September, had picked up a season’s worth of revenge in one semifinal swipe.
Now, Morgan looks toward Saturday’s 3A title match against Ogden hoping to make some history of their own. Burton, asked about the potential matchup, said another chance to take on their rivals carries extra meaning for the Trojans’ senior class.
The defending 3A champs, Ogden has defeated Morgan in the pair’s last three postseason meetings.
“It’s nice to get another chance,” Burton said. “It’s nice to show them we can do it being ourselves and stuff. … I think we’ve gotten so close all four years, getting to state and losing to Ogden both times so I think we really want to get one last chance before we graduate.”
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Zions Bank Stadium.
St. Joseph falls in 2A semifinals
Jaci Coles scored on a free kick in the 78th minute but it wasn’t enough as No. 5 St. Joseph fell to No. 1 American Heritage 2-1 in the 2A state semifinals Thursday at Zions Bank Stadium.
American Heritage (16-3) sored in the 51st and 52nd minutes on goals by Ada Werner and Sadie Stratton.
St. Joseph ends the season with a 12-6 record.
Justin B. Johnson contributed to this report.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
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