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Maple Mountain players celebrate with senior Hannah Bailey (center) after she scored a goal during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players pose for a photo after the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

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Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek slips to the ground after shooting a shot that scored a goal during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players celebrate after the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

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Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek watches her free kick during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players celebrate after the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

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Maple Mountain senior Sierra Liggett kicks the ball during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain seniors pose for a photo after the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

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Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek passes the ball during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players celebrate with senior Mika Krommenhoek (center) after she scored a goal during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain sophomore Taiya Jacobson dribbles up the field during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players celebrate with senior Mika Krommenhoek (right) after she scored a goal during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek dribbles the ball up the field during the 5A semifinals against Olympus at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain and Olympus players battle for the ball during the 5A semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Just a week ago, the No. 10-seeded Maple Mountain girls soccer team found itself facing a 2-0 deficit at halftime in the 5A second round on the road at No. 7-seed Timpview.

In that game, the Golden Eagles put together an amazing rally to stun the Thunderbirds.

Fast forward to Tuesday’s 5A semifinal game at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman and the shoe was on the other foot for Maple Mountain.

This time it was the Golden Eagles who had the 2-0 advantage at the break and knew that No. 6-seeded Olympus would be giving everything they had to replicate the Maple Mountain’s comeback.

“We talked about it at halftime,” Maple Mountain head coach Clif Swain said. “Yes, we were concerned it would go the other way — but at the same time, no, because we’ve just been so solid in the back this year. We knew that Olympus was good. They have a lot of speed and with one breakaway they could get in. We said don’t let them get through.”

Golden Eagle senior defender Hannah Bailey said there was definitely some nerves, especially after the Titans scored with 15 minutes left.

“There was so much urgency, so much desire to win,” Bailey said. “We’d made it this far. We had to keep pushing but it’s so nerve racking when we’re at that last second and they are trying to get that tying goal. It’s so much, especially on the backline. It was super-intense. It felt like life or death, trying to not let them score.”

Olympus tried everything it could to find the equalizer but Maple Mountain didn’t give the Titans an opening, resulting in the 2-1 victory for the Golden Eagles.

“There was so much excitement when it was over,” Bailey said. “We just had so much grit and desire to go on and win. I’m just speechless.”

While most of Bailey’s role during the game was to stop Titan attacks, she also ended up scoring the game-winning goal.

Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek started the scoring in the 14th minutes when a deflected shot bounced to her in the Olympus box and she hit a blast inside the far post to make it 1-0 for the underdogs.

Just nine minutes later, Krommenhoek set up for a corner kick and lofted it inside the box, but it was knocked out.

Golden Eagle sophomore Arie Bunce got to it and slid it out to where Bailey was waiting, about 25 yards from the goal.

“My teammate just found me wide open,” Bailey said. “I was thinking, ‘find the far post and slow down in my head.’ And I just finished it.”

Swain said that’s just what Bailey has done all year.

“She’s had three or four goals this year and all of them are just having the right timing,” Swain said. “She makes herself available, getting to the right place. She’s there and she’s ready when the opportunity comes, then she takes it.”

Maple Mountain’s two-goal lead appeared like it would be enough since the Golden Eagle defense has been really good.

“Between our keeper, Anya Gulley, and then our captain Chase Dean, who’s in the middle, and Anna McMaster who’s our other middle back with her, they control it,” Swain said. “At the beginning of the year, we gave up some goals to Syracuse and Davis, and we said, ‘hey, let’s readjust. Let’s get this back to where it needs to be.’

“They took it on themselves to adjust, to make the changes needed and to play the way we needed to be where we are now.”

The backline did what they needed to do to withstand the final Olympus push and earn a spot in the 5A state title game.

“It’s unbelievable,” Swain said. “We knew we were coming in with a young team. We said that if we’re going to make a run, it’s got to be at the end of the year.

“We didn’t realize how much the seniors were going to carry us, were going to pick up the younger generations up and get them to be playing at their level. The team has just raised their level of play and they’ve said yeah, we got this. We can do this.”

Now one final hurdle remains between Maple Mountain and a state championship: No. 5-seed Bountiful, which edged No. 8-seed Brighton in a penalty kick shootout in the other 5A semifinal on Tuesday.

“We haven’t made it to the semifinals since 2018,” Bailey said. “Being here all my years of high school, it’s been my goal to make it here and here we are. I couldn’t be prouder of my teammates and our coaching staff. They’re amazing.”

The Golden Eagles will face the Redhawks in the 5A championship at America First Field in Sandy on Friday at 5 p.m.