The teams have evolved.

The stakes were higher.

The result was the same.

Ogden High scored five goals in a home, pre-region win over Manti back in August and found itself matched with the Templars again on Saturday at America First Field with the 3A state girls soccer championship on the line.

Once again, five was enough as the No. 1 Tigers roared to a 5-1 victory over No. 3 Manti to net the sixth title in program history.

“We knew they had changed and that it would be a way harder game than it was early on in the year,” Ogden junior forward Elle Weston said. “Playing them before definitely helped because it gave us confidence but, at the same time, we were aware they beat (No. 2) Carbon Thursday so we knew they would be a hard team.”

Second-year Ogden coach Alexis King also saw some things in Manti that she was leery about.

“Both teams have grown a lot since August, and I thought they were going to give us a challenge,” King said. “It looked like they had improved so we kind of treated them like we hadn’t seen them before.”

Concerns aside, Weston, a Baylor University commit, put on a show in the first half, having a foot in all three of Ogden’s goals.

She had an assist, a goal of her own and a penalty kick for a score as the Tigers raced to a 3-1 lead at the break.

“I came in totally prepared because my freshman year, I missed a wide-open goal, so it’s something I’ve wanted to fix; I wanted to come out strong,” Weston said. “But I couldn’t do it without my teammates; they’ve helped me so much.”

Weston assisted a goal to Megan Beus in the third minute as the Tigers jumped on Manti early with a 1-0 lead.

“I had the ball, then took one down the line, gave a minus ball to Megan and she scored a banger,” Weston said. “I love Megan so much; it’s her senior year. It shows how well we work as a team, our chemistry.

“That goal helped our momentum and put Manti a little lower mentally, and boosted our energy so much higher,” Weston said.

Twelve minutes later, Weston found the net on an assist from freshman Gwenyth Aardema, and Ogden led 2-nil.

“I got a through ball, switched it to my right foot in the 18, shot it far post and it went in,” Weston said.

Completing the first half trifecta, Weston converted a penalty kick after she was fouled in the box, which answered a goal by Manti’s Chole Olson that had closed the gap to 2-1.

Manti (14-5) put a shadow on Weston after her torrid start, picking at her and bumping her even without the ball, and the Tigers changed their stripes in the second half.

A slow start ramped up when Aardema scored in the 54th minute, finally outdueling Manti goalie Averie Jo Robbins.

“Megan was running down and I thought she had it, then I saw the defender step over,” Aardema said. “I missed the first shot, not a very good hit; then it came right back to me. I wanted a goal so bad — just put it in.”

Capri Colvin closed Ogden’s scoring with a counter from long range in the 59th minute.

“I’ve been waiting all season to try and get a good shot off. I’ve been working really hard to try and get my kick down with power,” Colvin said. “Megan gave me a beautiful ball and I was ready and sent it, hoping it did something good for the team.”

On the defensive side of the ledger, freshman keeper Whitney Fife and a few of her friends kept Manti from mounting a serious threat.

“My defense is amazing. They protect me all the time,” Fife said.

Ogden finished the season on a 14-game winning streak after a somewhat slow start to the campaign.

“We lost our very first game — working out a few kinks and nerves — then lost to a good Farmington team in 100-degree heat,” King said. “Overall, even the games we lost, we played extremely well. I don’t necessarily see those games as losses, more like lessons to be learned. Continue to grow and play as a team.”

The two freshmen — Fife and Aardema — were part of that learning process that paid dividends in the championship game.

“They’re both great players. I know they were both a little nervous in the beginning, but it’s been really fun watching them go from Game 1 to now, how much their confidence has skyrocketed,” King said. “How composed they are with the ball. Work on things you need to work on; keep them growing. Make sure to grow their confidence in the mental game and not just the technical game.”

Ogden (17-2) lost in the 3A final last season and brought a lot of experience back to this year’s team.

“I was really excited for our team. Last year our sophomores played a lot, now they’re juniors and we had returning seniors,” King said. “I had a lot of talent coming into this season, so I was feeling really good about it. They’ve been dialed in and focused every practice and every game, and that shows whenever we play.”

“This is way better than last year; it’s nice to see your team celebrating instead of crying,” King said.

Weston will be a key component returning for next season and looks to build on Ogden’s sixth championship going forward.

“I think it’s going to make the program stronger — keep growing and growing — and it’s really exciting to see the program get bigger and better. Bright future,” Weston said.

With three years remaining, Fife added: “It feels great. I’m happy we could come out with the win; we had a great season altogether.”

Four of Ogden’s six state championships have come in the last seven years, a streak in which Ogden has made the state final in every season.