Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
HERRIMAN — On Sept. 23, Brighton and Olympus faced off in what would end in a shoot out that saw the Bengals emerge victorious 4-2 in penalty kicks. On Oct. 25, the two met up again, this time in the 5A state championship.
However, it would be the Titans who would came out on top after a 0-0 draw that ended 4-2 in penalty kicks, crowning Olympus the 5A state champions.
As soon as the two teams got to penalties, Olympus head coach Jamie Evans had all the confidence in the world they would finish as champs.
"I had total confidnce in our PK takers. I did not have any question whether the ball would go in the back of the net. I wish we could have ended it earlier, but once we got to PK's I was pretty confident."
Keeper Joss Baker was the difference maker for Olympus, who blocked three shots in the shootout and came out a state champion in her final season as a senior.
"I am really confident because we practiced PK's every day in practice. People usually say 'Just get one," Baker said. "We went to PK's with them before, so we knew they liked to go left."
And as Brighton went left, Baker was there to stop it and secure the title for the Titans.
Olympus are the 5A State Champions! https://t.co/Uu0zdalsuFpic.twitter.com/QUODyYmll0
— Nathan Dunn (@NateDunnKSL) October 25, 2024
Two schools separated by six miles faced off in the championship at Zions Bank Stadium after both teams lost in the semifinals last season.
The Bengals struggled in the first half to find open passing lanes. When they had one, it was misread or taken by another Bengals player when it was not intended for them, which resulted in Brighton failing to get any shots on target.
Meanwhile, the Titans got up shot-after-shot on the Bengals. While many were not with much space, putting up shots was pivotal for keeping a solid Bengals offense out of the final third.
In the 32nd minute, Olympus finally had an open look. HopeAnne Munson found herself one-on-one with Brighton keeper Lilah Sighting, who elected to charge the ball instead of letting the ball come to her. Sighting dove straight at the ball and deflected Munson's shot to keep the game locked at 0-0.
Early in the second half, the Titans continues its pressure on the Bengals defense, which had not wavered yet. Ella Nelson fired an open shot from the top of the 18-yard box and nearly found nylon before Sighting just got her hand on it, negating another Titans shot.
Sighting was challenged repeatedly but continued to deflect anything that came her way.
Olympus continued the pressure, but the Bengals and Sighting did well by keeping the Titans out of the net to send the match into overtime.
After two 10-minute periods that resulted in no goals, it was time for penalty kicks to crown a champion.
The Bengals and Titans both converted their first two goals, knotting it up at 2-2 before Baker took over.
Baker successfully defended the next three attempts, while her teammates Ella Nelson and Emi Green converted their shots to claim the throne as champions.
The Titans finished the season with a 19-1 record, with the lone loss coming to Brighton in September. The Bengals went 18-2, with both losses to Olympus as the two teams faced each other at the start of the season.
