Judge Memorial takes 3A state soccer title with win over Wasatch

Photo by Lexie Stuivenvolt-Allen/Judge Memorial High School

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The Judge Memorial High School boys soccer team celebrates taking home the 2010 3A state championship trophy.

SALT LAKE CITY -Taking the state 3A soccer championship this year was a family matter for coach Kelly Terrill. His son Ross, a junior, scored the winning goal of the game, and the victory came 21 years after his younger brother played on the last Judge Memorial Catholic High School team to win a state title against the Wasatch Wasps at Rio Tinto Stadium May 8.

"This team is a great team and I was privileged to coach talented young players, so it was fun," Terrill said.

Judge went into the state meet as region champions, with a 15-1-2 record, with its sole loss coming at the hands of Ben Lomond High School. That loss may actually have helped the Bulldogs, because their early success against Wasatch and Park City gave them a tendency toward over-confidence, Terrill said, and the defeat "brought them down to earth a little bit."

Out to revenge the early-season loss, during the state championship game Wasatch kept a tight defense, Terrill said. "Wasatch marked us really nice. We couldn't create a lot of opportunities."

In the 39th minute, however, the Bulldogs stole a ball off a throw-in and took it downfield. Senior Oliver Diamond passed the ball to senior defender Sam Naatz, who cut his defender back to the left side and scored.

"It was a magic moment," Terrill said. "He knocked it home...That doesn't happen in games, usually. It stung Wasatch, and they had to change the way they played, and it opened it up for us a little more."

Even before the goal, the momentum of the game was changing, Naatz said. "We started to get a little more confident as we were approaching half time," he said, but his goal "definitely changed the pace of the game, especially for me because I was really excited, and I think everyone else got going, too. Then in the second half we were playing more our game than letting them dictate how the game was going to go."

The Wasps came back to tie the game, but Toss Terrill scored on a penalty kick midway through the second half to clinch the win for the Bulldogs.

Scoring the game's first goal "was the highlight of my soccer career so far," said Naatz, who will be attending the University of Puget Sound in the fall.

Both Terrill and Naatz attributed the Bulldogs' success to teamwork. "There were moments when every one of those boys stepped up and contributed to our season being successful," Terrill said.

The 2010 team was heavy with seniors, most of whom have been playing together on club teams for several years, Naatz said. "Definitely the team effort got us the whole way through the season."

Six of the team members were named to the 3A boys' soccer All-Tournament Team following the state championships: Drew Abby, Max Bell, Robert Higgins, Sam Naatz, Cole Pollard and Ross Terrill. Naatz was named the MVP of the3A boys' soccer All-Tournament Team.