Charging through 4A
Eagles fall short of elusive
state championship,
but continue to build
momentum, tradition and memories
Matchup
The Skyline girls soccer team came into the 2012 season
looking for a championship. They earned one, but missed the other.
And, even though the girls walked off the field with
tears in their eyes on that cold, rainy night at Juan Diego, they didn’t feel
like losers.“Sure, it stings,” said senior forward Ashley Aberton. “You always go in wanting the state championship, and I really felt like we had the team to do it this year, but we still accom-plished so much.”
The Eagles finished with a 15-2-2 overall record and were 9-0-1 in Region 7, winning the school’s fourth straight region title. Skyline made it to the state championship game last year, but coach Yamil Castillo said the overall depth of good teams in 4A made it even more difficult this season.
Skyline made it to the 4A state tournament and, after beating East and Timpanogos, was defeated 1-0 by Bountiful in the semifinals. The Braves went on to lose to Bonneville in the title contest.
“We had talent and experience all over the field, so I know our goals were set pretty high,” Castillo said. “We (the coaches) knew what we were capable. It was a disappointment, but now that I’ve had time to reflect on it, I think of all that we’ve accomplished.”
“The senior class – we’ve won region every year,” said Aberton. “We went from not winning a playoff game to making it to the semis and finals and really just taking Skyline and making a family place for everyone. We went away with a lot more.”
Aberton and sophomore Jaslyn Masina made headlines early in the season with their speed and scoring abilities. Afterward, Aberton, Lauren Harmon and goalkeeper Alli Spencer each made the all-state team, and Meghan Davies, who was injured in the spring and missed the entire soccer season, joined them in earning a college scholarship. Davies was also part of the team, serving as team manager and offering herself as an inspiration to the other players.
“It’s just a soccer team, but these girls made this program a contender,” Castillo said. “We’ve really elevated the program and you can see it by the girls who are coming in.”
The Eagles prepared themselves by playing a difficult preseason schedule that included matches against 5A power Davis, as well as a two-day road trip to the Cache Valley to play 4A contenders Sky View and Mountain Crest. Games against Park City, Syracuse and Highland followed.
“I knew we were going to be good when we played Olympus here in the first part of the season,” Castillo said. “In that week, we played Hillcrest and Olympus, which were the second and third-place teams last year, and we scored 12 goals and had one goal against.
“At that point, we were in the driver’s seat.”
Only a 1-1 tie late in the season – after the Eagles had already clinched the region crown – kept them from a perfect league season. Skyline earned a No. 1 seed and, despite that, had to face a difficult stretch of games in order to return to Rio Tinto Stadium.
“Beating Timpanogos was probably the highlight of the season,” said Castillo, noting that the Eagles lost to the Timberwolves in the state final last year.
Aberton scored the only goal just five minutes into the game and Spencer turned away at least three point-blank shot attempts. The team was all smiles afterward, but Bountiful also had a chance for revenge five days later. After losing to the Eagles in 2011, the Braves were able to turn the tables.
“We lost our first game and we lost in the semifinals. It’s hard to stay undefeated for that long,” Castillo said. “We were a target. People didn’t take us for granted. Everyone came and played their best game (against Skyline).”
The Eagles lost 12 seniors to graduation, but the momentum built from this group should allow the team to continue its tradition. Only time will tell if it will be as special as this group.
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