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Woods Cross • Bryson Colemere saw Christian Bain beat two defenders, just like he had so many times before. Alta's leading goal-scorer peeled off his defender in hopes that Bain would see it. The 2015 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year did, slipping a pass to the streaking Colemere.
"I just got a toe on it," Colemere said, "and watched it roll in."
That simple, slight touch sent the Hawks to the Class 5A championship game Thursday at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. Alta defeated Lehi 1-0 in the second 5A semifinal Tuesday afternoon at Woods Cross High School on Colemere's 84th-minute golden goal, formulating an Alta-Brighton 5A final.
"I'm glad we're playing Brighton," Colemere said. "It's a classic Alta rivalry."
Despite the dramatic finish, the Pioneers gave Alta all it could handle. The No. 3 seed kept the high-scoring Hawks at bay during regulation despite Alta having 15 shots on goal in the first 80 minutes. Midfielder Preston McIllece found plenty of space outside the box in the 72nd minute, but his shot zipped just over the crossbar.
In the 80th minute, midfielder Elliott Smith finished to the far post, sending the Alta sideline into jubilation, but the junior's would-be winning goal was whistled offside. Colemere said he thought the Hawks struggled to adjust to Lehi's game plan, despite him having the best chance of the match in the 43rd minute when he chipped the Lehi goalkeeper, only to have a defender recover and clear the ball before it rolled into the net.
"I thought we kind of had a rough game," he said. "Honestly, we weren't playing as well as we have been. I was a little bit worried."
Alta coach Lee Mitchell, the most successful prep soccer coach in Utah history, said his pre-extra time speech was for the Hawks to "get on" the Pioneers and pressure offensively.
"[I] said, 'Hey, we need to step it up or we're not going to be playing,'" he said. "These kids, to their credit, they've responded that way all year long."
The response was Bain picking out Colemere, whose flick sent the Hawks to the state title match.
Up next is a rivalry game in a state final. Alta defeated Brighton 3-0 on May 7. The two teams tied 0-0 on April 21 after playing 100 minutes. Behind goalkeeper Einar Johnson and the stingy back line, the Hawks have notched back-to-back postseason shutouts, including three clean sheets in their last four outings.
The Hawks now face the Bengals for a shot at a sixth state title under Mitchell.
"Brighton-Alta," he said. "Throw everything out the window."
Twitter: @CKTribune —
Alta 1, Lehi 0 (OT)
• Senior forward Bryson Colemere scores golden-goal winner in the 84th minute to propel Alta to 5A title game.
• Alta coach Lee Mitchell can win state title No. 6 should the Hawks beat Brighton
• Alta-Brighton face off in 5A title game Thursday at Rio Tinto Stadium at 4:30 p.m.