Waterford girls soccer defeats American Heritage to claim first state title since 2021

SANDY — Waterford defeated American Heritage 5-4 on penalty kicks to earn the 2A girls soccer champions Saturday afternoon.

The game was a defensive battle, which was a surprise considering the Ravens defeated the Patriots 8-1 earlier in the season. In fact, the 14-1 Ravens have had a number of wide goal margin games this year. 

"It was a complicated season because of the scores that we had," Ravens coach Jeannie Woller said. "For these girls, it was all about figuring out how to help them with the tools and empower them with the belief in themselves."

The game came down to penalty kicks after 100 minutes of scoreless play. But it was Ravens keeper Jessica Miller who was cool, calm, and connected. 

"I love PK's, they're my jam. I just told myself you're going to stop one eventually and to just have trust in your teammates," Miller said. "This year has been amazing. We thought we were going to win last year and just missed it. This year we wanted revenge, and you could tell that from how everyone played today."

When Patriots freshmen Jules Gardner stepped up to attempt to force a 5-5 tie in penalty kicks, she did so with confidence. Ultimately, the shot was stopped, though head coach Ellie Stafford wouldn't have it any other way. 

"PK's are hard, and as a coach I would rather that kick be in frame then booted out of play," Stafford said. "I'm proud of her. She played great and she played her game like everyone did today."

The Patriots went 10-6 this season and battled a number of injuries all year. With all that, the Patriots still managed to make it to the championship game, which is something Stafford said she was proud of this season.

"The team all felt like they played really good, so now we're all trying to cheer each other up," Stafford said. "We came here, we kept them, and went to PK's."

The Ravens have won their first championship since 2021 and their eighth overall in school history. Woller was a part of three of those as a player. And when asked where Saturday's ranks for her, the answer was simple. 

"This is a standalone."

Related topics