High school soccer: Timpanogos wins surprising defensive battle

DRAPER — Offensive fireworks appeared to be in store for both teams when Springville and Timpanogos advanced to face one another in the semifinal round of the 4A girls soccer tournament at Juan Diego Catholic High.

Both teams had given the scoreboard a workout during the course of the season. The Red Devils ranked first among all 4A teams in scoring offense. Coming in a close second were the Timberwolves.

Instead of a goal-fest, a defensive battle ensued amid a cold, rainy evening.

The end result was a 2-1 semifinal victory for Timpanogos on Tuesday evening that helped the Region 7 third seed finally claim a spot in a title game after reaching this point for the third consecutive season.

"No, I didn't expect it to be such a low-scoring game," T-Wolves coach Natalyn Lewis said. "But, at the same time, you (play) on this turf here and you put the pressure on the line of what lies ahead and you just never know what to expect."

If Timpanogos felt pressure, junior forward Marissa Nimmer made enough plays at the right times to diffuse it.

Nimmer helped get the T-Wolves on the board in the 13th minute when she sent a corner kick inside the 6-yard box and a Springville defensive mistake allowed the ball to slip past. A Red Devil defender greeted the ball with the intention of clearing it out of the area. But it deflected off her leg and went into the net to make it 1-0 for Timpanogos.

Then, in the 69th minute, Nimmer came up with the game-winning goal when she blasted the ball from the upper-right corner of the area and knocked it home to help the T-Wolves retake a 2-1 lead.

It proved to be a critical goal. Springville switched momentum in its favor earlier in the half when Lexie Eaton found the equalizer in the 43rd minute.

Eaton took off on a breakaway and cut through the middle of the penalty area. With a pair of defenders trailing her, the Red Devil forward threaded the ball perfectly inside the left post to make it 1-1.

Lewis said Nimmer's go-ahead goal reflects perfectly the total effort she has put forth during the entire state tournament.

"She told me on the bus, 'I will do whatever it takes to play in that stadium' and she has," Lewis said. "She has come to play every single game. She has given everything that she's got and she's come up huge for us — not just today, but all through the state tournament."

Timpanogos and Springville met in the preseason — and, coincidentally, that game also ended in a 2-1 T-Wolves' victory. While many elements from that earlier matchup were much different, Timpanogos did come into Tuesday's game having an idea of what it could expect from the Red Devils.

"We knew they were a very quick team and they would get the ball to the net," Nimmer said. "They're a really good team, so we just prepared for that."

The T-Wolves will now face Bonneville in the 4A championship game at Rio Tinto Stadium on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

e-mail: jcoon@desnews.com