Draper • In an era where many athletes selfishly want to be the star, American Fork ninth-grader Addison Gardner showed the value of teamwork.
The result of her passing instead of taking a shot on goal gave the Cavemen a thrilling 1-0 overtime win over Layton on Tuesday at Juan Diego and their first-ever berth in the Class 6A girls’ soccer state title game.
Both teams squandered chances at getting goals, thanks in part to outstanding goalkeeping. American Fork’s Rachel McCarthy started the winning sequence by getting the ball near midfield.
She set up Gardner just to the left of the goal, but instead of trying to get the ball past Layton goalie Meg Edwards, the freshman flipped the ball back to McCarthy.
This time, the acrobatic Edwards could not get to the ball fast enough, and McCarthy buried the golden goal in the back of the net with just over two minutes to play in the first overtime.
“I needed to make the decision to make the pass to my teammate,” Gardner said. “I was thinking of putting it in. But then I found that open placement. I was amazed and so excited. This is the first time AF has been this far.”
McCarthy said she started the sequence by getting the ball to Gardner then running toward the goal.
“She was big,” said McCarthy about Gardner. “That was selfless. She found me in the open. She went for the win instead of her getting the goal.”
AMERICAN FORK 1, LAYTON 0 IN OT <br>• Freshman Addison Gardner sets up junior Rachel McCarthy for the golden goal. <br>• Layton goalie Meg Edwards makes some amazing saves in overtime before finally getting beaten. <br>• The Cavemen earn their first trip to a girls’ soccer state championship game.
McCarthy saw an opening when she hit Gardner to start the sequence. That opened up her for a point-blank golden goal as she hustled toward the goal. She said she knew she just had to get there.
American Fork coach Derek Dunn had nothing but praise for the unselfish pass that Gardner released as he celebrated the golden goal with more than a little excitement.
“This is the first time in American Fork history we’ve made it this far,” said Dunn, whose team will meet Syracuse for the state title at 2 p.m. Friday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The game was a true defensive struggle with Edwards and American Fork goalie Haven Empey both forced to make diving saves to keep their respective teams in the contest.
Empey had to make a diving catch with seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and Edwards made some acrobatic saves early in the overtime.
But the unselfish play of a ninth-grader coupled with the heads-up hustle of McCarthy, who said this was the first golden goal she could remember scoring, allowed American Fork to reach its first state final.