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Draper • After taking a surprisingly easy 3-0 victory over Wasatch on Tuesday in the Class 4A girls' soccer semifinals, Skyline's coach and players left no doubt that they were happy to get a state title rematch with Timpanogos.
The Timberwolves have beaten the Eagles the last two years in the state title game, including last year's memorable penalty kick battle.
After Timpanogos used penalty kicks to break a scoreless tie and beat Box Elder in Tuesday's other semifinal at Juan Diego, a 4:30 p.m. Friday repeat battle between the two powers became a reality.
"A part of us was hoping they would win so we could meet them again in the finals," said Skyline's Emma Heyn, whose two second-half goals gave the Eagles that chance.
Coach Yamil Castillo offered similar sentiments.
"This is our year," he said. "We had a goal. This is the third time in the championship against the same team. I am glad we got Timpanogos. We have a lot of girls returning. We want to get it done this year. This team has a lot of chemistry. There are no personal goals, only a team effort."
There was no guarantee of a win against Wasatch. Wasps goalie Torri Bills had recorded 12 shutouts this season and had not been scored upon since Sept. 17.
But Heyn ended that streak about eight minutes into the second half as she scored from about 10 feet out on the left side. She added a second goal with 5:20 left. She credited teammate Holly Daugirda with assists on both goals.
"We used our speed, our teamwork and our chemistry," said Heyn. "We made it happen. The drive to get to Rio Tinto is so strong this year. We did everything we could to make it happen."
Daugirda got the final goal with 90 seconds to play, this one from the left side.
"We just worked hard and persevered hard," she said. "Now it's round three."
The Eagles also got a fine effort at goalie from Mya Tatton and benefited from strong defense against the Wasps.
Timpanogos 0, Box Elder 0 (6-5 Timpanogos penalty kicks) • Senior goalkeeper Carly Nelson came up with the key save as the tight game went into penalty kicks to give the Timberwolves a chance to play for their third straight 4A title.
Nelson had a monster game, especially in the first half, as the surprising Bees, who came into the tournament as the fourth-place team from Region 5, had the initiative much of the game. Timpanogos finished third in the region behind Alta and Timpview.
Coach Megan Fereday said her team had a rough first half but made some adjustments, and said the Timberwolves are peaking at the right time.
"We have tough region," she said. "That helped us prepare for the tournament."
Twitter: @tribtomwharton —
Class 4A championship
P Timpanogos vs. Skyline, at Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy
Friday, 4:30 p.m.