Coming up golden: Maple Mountain girls soccer wins 5A title in PK shootout
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore keeper Anya Gulley makes a save during the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain senior Hannah Bailey makes the championship-winning penalty kick during the shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players pose for a photo with the title trophy after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Arie Bunce lunges for the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Arie Bunce heads the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate with junior Kesley Jewkes (center) after she scored a goal during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Arie Bunce battles for the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Arie Bunce (52) knocks the ball toward the goal during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain senior Reagan Anderson blocks a shot during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Mateya Hall passes the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain senior Mika Krommenhoek kicks the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain junior Kesley Jewkes stops the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain junior Kesley Jewkes battles for the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain head coach Clif Swain talks to his team during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore Taiya Jacobson battles for the ball during the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate after sophomore keeper Anya Gulley made a save in the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain senior Ruth Swain takes her shot during the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate with senior Mika Krommenhoek after she made her shot during the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain sophomore keeper Anya Gulley celebrates after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players talks to an assistant coach who was out of town after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
-
- Maple Mountain players celebrate after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
Maple Mountain sophomore goalkeeper Anya Gulley crouched on the ground in front of her net at America First Field in Sandy, her head bowed in disappointment.
The No. 10-seed Golden Eagles had been leading Friday’s 5A state championship by a goal but No. 6-seed Bountiful had earned a penalty kick.
The shot by Redhawk sophomore Belle Sorensen was low and to the left, but Gulley guessed correctly and had a chance to stop it — only to see it trickle by and into the goal for the equalizer.
“I read her hips and I knew that she was going that way but I think I just over-went and then I couldn’t get my hands to it, so it just slipped through,” Gulley said.
It was tough for Maple Mountain to see Bountiful tie the game but one word has defined the Golden Eagles this entire season: Resiliency.
“It’s something that you can’t describe and it’s something you can’t teach,” Maple Mountain head coach Clif Swain said. “It comes from their hearts.”
He said that time and time again this Golden Eagle squad has picked each other up through tough times and he knew it would again for his young keeper.
And Maple Mountain desperately needed Gulley, who made some solid stops in regulation and then took center stage when the state championship came down to a penalty-kick shootout.
“I knew I had to redeem myself and show up for my team,” Gulley said. “I was just going to give everything I had.”
Swain said he felt confident that she would be ready.
“Anya has been so big,” Swain said. “She has reset a couple times when we’ve given up really bad things on defense. She was able to pick herself up, pick the team up and go. We knew that she was going to pull through. We didn’t know how quick but we knew she was going to get it back together.”
Gulley set the tone for the dramatic conclusion by stopping the very first Bountiful attempt, giving her team the advantage on the scoreboard and the momentum.
“She knows we have so much faith and trust in her,” Golden Eagle senior Hannah Bailey said. “She’s rock solid back there and has done is so well. I just felt so confident in her. She’s always saving PKs in practice. She reads them so well. We were just so proud of her.”
Gulley stepped up and got another save on the fourth Redhawk kick while the first three Maple Mountain shots were made by seniors Ruth Swain and Mika Krommenhoek and junior Kesley Jewkes.
That meant that as Bailey made the walk from the center line to the spot, she knew she had a chance to win the championship for her team if she could take care of business.
“It’s so crazy,” Bailey said. “I had nothing to lose. I know I’ve done that a million times. I just had to walk through it again and I got it. It’s my senior year, so I couldn’t be happier.”
She calmly blasted her shot into the goal, sparking a wild celebration for the Golden Eagles as they secured the victory, 1-1 (4-2 in PKs).
“This is amazing,” Krommenhoek said. “I’m so proud of my team. I love them all.”
She noted that Maple Mountain hadn’t been in a penalty-kick shootout so there were some nerves, but the team had done everything it could to be ready.
“We practiced them hard all week,” Krommenhoek said. “I had faith in Anya and I’m so proud of all the girls, the ones who kicked them in and the ones who were cheering us on.”
After the initial celebration and shaking hands with the Redhawks, Gulley posed for some photos in front of the goal where she had made her big saves. At one point, she just yelled, “Guys, we just won state!”
“It’s kind of surreal,” Gulley said. “I never thought I would be in this big of a stadium this early in my life. It’s so crazy to think we just won.”
Swain said it was a moment to savor as he thought back to everything the Golden Eagles had gone through to get to this point.
“They have so much heart and we play so well as a team,” Swain said. “When we got that first goal we thought, okay, we can do this. When we gave up the PK, our hearts sank a little bit, but then we got it back. It was amazing to see them play, to see them fight together as a team to do this and pull it off.”
High School
Mountain View’s Maya selected as Region 8 Boys Volleyball MVP
Gurney: Coach Jared Ingersoll’s recent success places him among the very best in state history
