St. Joseph girls soccer can’t complete comeback against Rowland Hall in 2A title-game loss
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- St. Joseph Catholic High soccer players Jaci Coles (left) and Anysia Pinchak (16) embrace after the Jayhawks lost 4-3 in the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Alexandra Walker (left), Katelyn Martinez (13), goalkeepr Cicily Flores (right) and Rowland Hall’s Zakrie Smith (green, center) all converge on the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Abigail Gough (left) and Sofia Evans (right) celebrate Evans’ goal during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Sofia Evans shoots the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Ashley Fergus (right) and Rowland Hall’s Ashlyn Lieberman collide while going for the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Jaci Coles stretches for the ball while Rowland Hall’s Ashlyn Lieberman (32) gives chase during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Katelyn Martinez tries to bring the ball down during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Alexandra Walker kicks the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Abigail Gough looks to cross the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
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- St. Joseph Catholic High’s Sofia Evans attempts to control the ball during the 2A girls soccer state championship game against Rowland Hall on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at America First Field in Sandy.
SANDY — Abby Gough’s 72nd-minute goal gave the St. Joseph Catholic High girls soccer team life again.
It drew the No. 5 Jayhawks to within 4-3 in Saturday’s 2A state title game against No. 3 Rowland Hall.
It was too little, too late, but Gough felt like St. Joseph had a chance to send the game to extra time.
“I thought so at the end, I think if we had five more minutes, I think we could’ve tied it up,” Gough said.
For the second straight year, St. Joseph lost to its region counterpart on the last day of the season by just one goal, falling 4-3 against the Winged Lions a year after losing to Rowland Hall 2-1 in the title game.
“Two years in a row to get here. Finals are tricky things, doesn’t always go your way,” SJC head coach Tom Evans said.
Injuries and lower participation whittled St. Joseph (11-7) down to 15 players for Saturday’s championship game.
Gough felt that the mere fact the Jayhawks appeared in a second straight title game said a lot.
“We’ve had a roller coaster of a season this year and I thought everybody fought to their last breath,” she said. “I think that we’ve proved that this team is no longer just St. Joe’s, but we’re a program that’ll make it to the finals every year.”
St. Joseph scored three goals and looked threatening enough to score more.
The problem was the Jayhawks twice couldn’t go a full minute without conceding after they’d scored.
“Just the few kind of communication errors kind of cost us some goals, but it was just minor things. I don’t think it was a problem with our team, just little mistakes,” Gough said.
Sofia Evans, St. Joseph’s best player on the ball in the game, scored a long-range banger in the seventh minute that drifted in under the crossbar.
Maybe 60 seconds later, Rowland won a penalty at the other end and Paige Connery slotted in to tie the game.
The Winged Lions went ahead 2-1 at halftime and 3-1 shortly after the restart before another Sofia Evans solo goal cut the lead to 3-2 in the 47th minute.
Not even a minute later, Rowland’s Zakrie Smith rounded St. Joseph keeper Cicily Flores and scored into an open goal for a 4-2 lead.
Gough scored a well-taken goal, her 39th of the year, into the bottom left corner to cut the lead to 4-3 with 8:01 left.
“It’s another Rowland Hall match. Close, they’re the beneficiary of a PK early in the first half that negated our early lead, we just continued to fight back and then we’d give one up,” Tom Evans said.
St. Joseph also lost to Rowland Hall 5-4 in the regular season back in September. The Winged Lions won their sixth state championship in the last seven years, continuing the stranglehold that private schools have in 2A girls soccer.
“They’ve got a bunch of seniors that have been here before, so they’re tough to play against. I’m going to be happy not to have to play against a few of those (girls),” Tom Evans said.
Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
