Great start: American Fork girls soccer rallies to win at Maple Mountain in OT thriller
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- American Fork and Maple Mountain players battle for the ball during the non-region game in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- Maple Mountain players celebrate with Haidyn Denton (center) after she scored a goal during the non-region game against American Fork in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork’s Presley Houghton takes a shot during the non-region game against Maple Mountain in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- Maple Mountain keeper Anya Gulley grabs the ball during the non-region game against American Fork in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork’s Cambree Ballard shields the ball during the non-region game against Maple Mountain in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork players celebrate with senior Faith Nydegger. left., after she scored a goal during the non-region game against Maple Mountain in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork and Maple Mountain players battle for the ball during the non-region game in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork’s Julie Huddleston takes a corner kick during the non-region game against Maple Mountain in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork and Maple Mountain players battle for the ball during the non-region game in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
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- American Fork and Maple Mountain players battle for the ball during the non-region game in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
It was an evening of firsts for the American Fork girls soccer team on Tuesday.
Not only were the Cavemen kicking off the 2024 season by going on the road to take on the defending 5A champs at Maple Mountain but it was also the first game for new American Fork head coach Cam Jolley.
And then there was Caveman freshman Lahua Fisher, who managed to steal the spotlight in the thrilling 3-2 American Fork overtime win over the Golden Eagles.
“It was really fun,” Fisher said. “Since I’m a freshman, it’s my first game and it’s really fun to be here. I love just being with my teammates and getting to see them actually go out and play. It’s really fulfilling.”
She got on the field a little bit during regulation but wasn’t sure if she would be called on again after the Cavemen rallied from a big hole to tie the game and force overtime.
In the second extra period, though, she was back on the field as the final minutes ticked off the clock — and came through with a highlight moment she’ll never forget.
“I just remember getting in and thinking I’ve got to do this now because the time was running out,” Fisher said. “The ball came out and I was thinking that we had to get this in.”
In the 99th minute of action, Fisher won the battle to a bouncing ball and knocked it in to score the dramatic golden goal.
“It didn’t even feel real,” she said. “It was just so nice. There was so much love from my team.”
Jolley said Fisher got the job done thanks to a combination of the team getting the ball in a dangerous position and then effort from the freshman.
“We had a good build up and the ball got to Lahua in the corner of the box,” Jolley said. “It was a bit of a scrappy play but she finished the shot from close range. It was a great play and a phenomenal way to end the game.”
He grinned as he talked about ending up in such a tense contest for his first game as the head coach.
“When I signed up for it, I didn’t think it would start this crazy but honestly, I couldn’t be happier,” Jolley said. “We knew that this program was already special. It’s got a great history. Now we’re just going to keep building on what we’ve created and I’m super happy to be a part of it.”
Maple Mountain appeared to be on its way to victory after it built a solid lead.
The home team started the scoring in the 28th minute when freshman Haidyn Denton won the race to a long ball, then took her time to elude all the defenders and put the ball in the empty net.
The Golden Eagles doubled the advantage early in the second half when junior Vivian Bird got open on the left side and rifled a hard shot. An American Fork defender got a touch on it but couldn’t keep the ball from crossing the line for the 2-0 Maple Mountain lead.
But the Cavemen didn’t wilt under the pressure, despite having a trio of excellent shots end up over the bar in the first half.
“A couple of days ago we talked about situations, including if we were down 2-0,” Fisher said. “We talked about how you just have to keep everything calm. You do have to really play simple and trust your teammates because it can become a really individual game when everyone’s panicked. I think we did a good job at holding it and trying to keep the ball. But it was really scary because we kept getting down.”
American Fork got rewarded in the 57th minute when the Cavemen forced a turnover and senior Faith Nyedegger drove in and scored, narrowing the gap.
She then competed the comeback by tallying the brace on a similar play, equalizing in the 68th minute and setting the stage for the excitement of the extra soccer.
Jolley is putting his stamp on the program. He’s an energetic former Caveman who isn’t afraid of taking some chances.
“We’re all about the risk and reward,” Jolley said.
Both teams would be quick to emphasize that they have plenty to work on, since it was the season-opener. Getting tested to start showed both things that they are doing well and how they handle pressure.
“It’s going to help us get into the right mindset for the season,” Fisher said. “Even if we are down, we have to go out and compete. I think this is a really good team, so we just need to go out and do our best.”
Maple Mountain (0-1) plays at Corner Canyon Thursday at 7 p.m., while American Fork (1-0) hosts Farmington on the same day at 3:30 p.m.
