4A high school soccer: Bonneville captures state title

SANDY – Getting another shot at Timpanogos with a state title on the line is exactly what Bonneville wanted.

Redemption for the Lakers would feel best if it came at the expense of the same team that denied them a state title with a last-minute goal a year ago. This time around, Bonneville made sure there would be no dramatic finish to keep it from reclaiming its spot as 4A's top girls soccer team.

The Lakers took control with a first-half goal from Lexie Grilz and muzzled the potent T-Wolves' offense through both halves to claim a 2-0 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium on Friday night.

Bonneville (16-1) claimed its second 4A championship in three seasons and, in an ironic twist, denied Timpanogos (18-2) its own shot to repeat as state champs.

"It's even more special because we knew they beat us last year," senior forward Jaiden Thornock said. "We knew that we had to come back and get our revenge."

Getting payback wasn't the easiest thing to do. The T-Wolves found ways to test the Laker defense through both halves. Senior forward Marissa Nimmer, in particular, proved to be a thorn in Bonneville's side.

Nimmer bounced a couple of different shots off the post or crossbar and forced Lakers goalkeeper Megan Fillpot to come up with timely saves on others.

"They gave us all kinds of problems," Bonneville coach Lane Barker said. "They were so good at passing and finding shots. It was frustrating us."

But for all the times the T-Wolves challenged Bonneville in it's half, the Lakers defense withstood each blow.

Bonneville adjusted in the second half by going away from a slide-in-and-steal-it approach. Instead, the Lakers worked to play better help defense and contest 50/50 balls with more vigor.

"We covered each other's backs," Grilz said. "If someone messed up, we got their back no matter what. We picked them up if they were falling down. And we just worked really well together."

With the defense doing its job, the offense had no trouble making things work to its advantage.

Grilz put the Lakers up 1-0 in the 27th minute when she finished off a diagonal run by splitting a pair of defenders and burying a shot high in the net.

Thornock provided Bonneville's final goal herself in the 79th minute. She pulled freshman goalkeeper Sydney Oldroyd toward the right post with some deceptive footwork and then fired the ball back across the goalmouth and inside the left post.