Coming up golden: Maple Mountain girls soccer stages dramatic rally to defeat Timpview in 2OT in 5A second round
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- Maple Mountain players celebrate after the 5A second round game against Timpview in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain players celebrate after the 5A second round game against Timpview in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain sophomore Kate Yeates redirects the ball past the Timpview defense and into the net during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain junior Kelsey Jewkes (10) battles Timpview senior Gabi Hall for the ball during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Timpview senior Sarah Oyler takes a shot during the 5A second round game against Maple Mountain in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain sophomore Taiya Jacobson (35) battles Timpview senior Katy Call for the ball during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Timpview players celebrate with senior Sarah Oyler (center) after she scored a goal during the 5A second round game against Maple Mountain in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain sophomore Matey Hall (24) battles Timpview senior Vanessa Storey for the ball during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain sophomore Ashlynn Denton (37) battles Timpview junior Alora Taylor for the ball during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Maple Mountain senior Hannah Bailey (22) battles Timpview senior Gabi Hall for the ball during the 5A second round game in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- Timpview senior Siena Rosborough attempts to head the ball during the 5A second round game against Maple Mountain in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
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- The Maple Mountain keeper punches the ball out during the 5A second round game against Timpview in Provo on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
Every girls soccer team wants to be good at set pieces but it’s not an easy skill to master.
It’s something, however, that Maple Mountain has excelled at this fall.
“The majority of our goals have been coming on set pieces from girls just getting in,” Golden Eagle head coach Clif Swain said. “Mika Krommenhoek (a senior) sends beautiful balls in and girls get on the end of them.”
And when Maple Mountain needed it most, Krommenhoek did just that — not once but twice.
Those two moments completed a thrilling comeback for the No. 10-seeded Golden Eagles as they rallied from a halftime deficit to knock off No. 7-seeded Timpview, 3-2, in overtime in Tuesday’s 5A second round game in Provo.
“They played their hearts out,” Swain said. “They gave it their all. They never gave up. They didn’t get their heads down when we were down 2-0 at halftime. They said, ‘we can still do this. Let’s just get it back. Let’s start from the beginning.’ And they brought it back.”
The Thunderbirds got a pair of gorgeous long shots from senior Sarah Oyler to get the two-goal advantage at the break, but Maple Mountain senior Ruth Swain (Clif Swain’s daughter) picked a great time to get her first goal of the season as she put the ball in the back of the net midway through the second half to narrow the gap.
But as the clock ticked down under two minutes remaining in the game, Maple Mountain was running out of time.
But the visitors got a ray of hope when they earned a free kick near the corner, just outside the Timpview penalty box, and Krommenhoek stepped up.
“The season was on the line, so it was a two-feet-in type of moment,” Krommenhoek said. “We just came together as a team and threw everything out there.”
She laced in a beautiful cross in front of the net and Golden Eagle sophomore Arie Bunce won the battle for the ball, knocking it in to tie the game.
“After we scored our first goal, we pulled a back defender and put an extra attacker forward,” Clif Swain said. “We were playing man-mark in the back, but it ended up working.”
Krommenhoek said she “shredded” her vocal chords celebrating but the match wasn’t over.
Maple Mountain had the clear advantage in momentum at that point, but it was still anyone’s game as the match went to overtime.
Neither team could get many opportunities in the first extra frame, but it only took two minutes in the second for the Golden Eagles to get a corner kick in nearly the same spot as the free kick at the end of regulation.
And, once again, it was Krommenhoek who stepped up to take it.
“We’ve done a lot of set pieces, so we knew what to do,” Krommenhoek said. “I just needed to play the ball where they would be and they were able to finish it.”
Maple Mountain run multiple runs but it was sophomore Kate Yeates who got to the expertly-placed ball in the middle of the box and redirected it just inside the near post to give the Golden Eagles the golden-goal win.
Clif Swain said he didn’t know initially that it had gone in since it was just bouncing around but after a moment’s hesitation, it was time to celebrate.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s really good to see them come together and lead. Before this game, we grabbed the captains and said ‘hey, this is your guys’ year. Let’s you guys do something. You guys know how to play so you get it together.’ And they did and so it was really good to see that.”
Krommenhoek felt pride in seeing her team complete such a big comeback and keep their season alive.
“This is a young team,” the Maple Mountain senior said. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year. It’s been really cool to see the young girls step up and come together. It takes effort from everybody, so this means a lot.”
While the Golden Eagles got to feel joy and elation, on the other sideline the Thunderbirds felt the sadness and disappointment of seeing their last game slip away.
Although it was hard, Timpview head coach Nate Warner said this year’s T’Bird squad has been an incredible group and have a lot to be proud of.
“They competed,” Warner said. “They were awesome. With this game, we ended up 11-6 but we lost six games by five goals. Every game we lost were just tough losses, either in overtime and or to last-second goals.
“But my girls were great. They worked hard. They believed in each other. They were coachable. They did everything we asked as coaches. Our eight seniors were really good players and great young ladies. It was a good year but it feels like a downer right now.”
Maple Mountain advances to play at No. 2 Clearfield in the 5A quarterfinals on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Falcons defeated No. 15 Alta, 6-1, in the second round.
State girls soccer scoreboard
Class 5A
No. 10 Maple Mountain 3, No. 7 Timpview 2 (OT)
No. 16 Spanish Fork 2, No. 1 Skyline 1
No. 4 Springville 4, No. 20 Viewmont 2
No. 3 Wasatch 2, No. 14 Woods Cross 0
Class 4A
No. 5 Timpanogos 4, No. 12 Uintah 0
No. 7 Mountain View 5, No. 10 Murray 0
No. 1 Green Canyon 3, No. 17 Provo 0
Class 6A
No. 5 American Fork 3, No. 12 Riverton 1
No. 2 Lone Peak 5, No. 15 Salt Lake Academy 0
No. 8 Skyridge 3, No. 9 Corner Canyon 2
No. 4 Mountain Ridge 2, No. 13 Pleasant Grove 0
No. 3 Copper Hills 1, No. 14 Lehi 0
