American Heritage boys soccer loses epic PK shootout in 2A championship
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- American Heritage players react to the end of the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage players comfort each other after the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Fork players pose for a photo with the second-place trophy after the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- Rowland Hall players comfort American Heritage players after the 2A state championship game at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage junior keeper Weston Larson blocks a penalty kick during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- An American Heritage player takes a penalty kick during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage senior Niwahai Winitana (21) battles for the ball during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage sophomore Everton Hughes (7) battles for the ball during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- An American Heritage free kick in overtime bounces off the post during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage senior Niwaihi Winitana takes a shot during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage players get emotional after losing the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage junior Cael Tillman takes a free kick during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage junior Will Sanders (29) takes a free kick during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage players try to block a free kick during the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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- American Heritage players huddle together before the 2A state championship game against Rowland Hall at America First Field in Sandy on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
According to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the longest penalty kick shootout in 70 years of UEFA competition came in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final between the Netherlands and England, which had 32 attempts before the Dutch hosts prevailed 13-12.
That statistic gives you an idea of just how truly rare and intense the penalty kick shootout in Saturday’s 2A state boys soccer championship at America First Field in Sandy.
American Heritage and Rowland Hall matched the total number of attempts made by the Netherlands and England 17 years ago, requiring 32 official attempts from the spot before a champion could be crowned.
Shots went in. Shots were saved. Shots hit the woodwork. Both teams had chances to win but couldn’t capitalize.
The Patriots and Winged Lions — who had battled to a 0-0 in regulation and two overtime periods — simply refused to bend until the 16th round.
That was when Rowland Hall senior Zac Bahna slotted his shot in and Winged Lion senior keeper Brock Paradise stopped the last American Heritage attempt, giving Rowland Hall the title, 0-0 (8-7 in PKs).
“Both teams played really well,” Patriot head coach Stephen Blake said. “You really don’t win games in penalty kicks. You win playing the game. I thought it could go either way (when it got to PKs).”
He said he could see the exhaustion in the players as they battled through 100 minutes of action and then the mental fatigue of the hour-long shootout.
“I feel for them because they’re so tired,” Black said. “When you’re that tired, you just don’t have enough power and strength to get that ball where you want to. The quality of it goes down when you are this tired. I knew going into PKs it would probably take a while to get it.”
The back-and-forth nature of the shootout reflected the back-and-forth nature of the game, one that saw play flow up and down the field but with no result for either side.
The Winged Lions were excellent in the air and had a couple of headers that just missed the target on the attack.
But American Heritage also had some excellent opportunities, including a trio that the Patriots felt might have ended the game.
Near the end of regulation, American Heritage used an odd-man rush to get a player free in the middle of the Rowland Hall penalty box. But the cross was bouncing just enough that the attacker couldn’t make solid contact and it skipped wide of a fairly open net.
Then in the first overtime period, the Patriots had two free kicks that hit the goal and ricocheted out, one bouncing up off the post and another slamming into the crossbar. Neither time American Heritage was able to get to the rebound to break the scoreless tie.
That set up the drama of the shootout, one in which the Patriots defended first.
American Heritage junior keeper Weston Larson made a number of excellent saves, just as he has all year for the Patriots.
“He’s an example and a captain,” Blake said. “He had the lowest goals against him the whole season, I think just 14 goals. He’s a great example of never giving up.”
American Heritage went up 2-1 after each team had two shots, but a couple of misses and a successful penalty kick by Rowland Hall on the fourth attempt tied things up.
From then on it was sudden death as the first time that one team made it and the other missed, the game would be over.
But although the Patriots had four opportunities to win after Winged Lion misses, they couldn’t get those shots in the back of the net. On the flip side, six American Heritage kickers matched Rowland Hall makes before the seventh was stopped.
That final save sparked a wild celebration for the Winged Lions while many of the Patriots collapsed on the field, overcome by exhaustion and disappointment at seeing the championship slip away.
But not all of the Rowland Hall players immediately joined the bedlam. Winged Lion junior Angus Hickman and freshman Fran Fierro instead went immediately to the emotional American Heritage players to comfort them.
“We have enjoyed playing them every game,” Blake said. “They’ve always just played as hard as we have. I love them. They’re great opponents and friends.”
While the final outcome went American Heritage had to settle for second place in 2024, the Patriots only have six seniors and have a lot of gifted underclassmen returning.
“I told them to not get comfortable, that we’ll be back,” Blake said.
Overall, he said he was tremendously proud of the camaraderie his team developed this year and believes it will continue to make a big difference.
“It’s been an incredible family,” Blake said. “I think outside they game, they are all still brothers. It’s been wonderful to watch that. I know 20 years from now they’ll all remember this and always still be friends.”
