High school soccer: Montgomery's goal lifts Lone Peak in OT
After losing to a Region 4 opponent for the second time this season earlier in the week, the Knights knew they would have to win the rest of their games and hope a rival or two could upend region leader Lehi along the way.
Kami Montgomery helped Lone Peak do its part against the Pioneers.
Montgomery, a senior fullback, came up with a golden goal in the 89th minute to lift the Knights to a 1-0 overtime victory over Lehi on Thursday afternoon — bringing the Pioneers' 11-game unbeaten streak to a halt.
Reannon King swung a corner kick out to her near the top of the 6-yard box. Montgomery, who was positioned parallel to the far post, got her head under the ball and lofted it perfectly over the head of Lehi keeper Briar Sands and into the net.
"It was a perfect ball," Montgomery said. "She sent me a perfect ball. If it was a different ball, it probably would have been a different thing. But she placed it perfectly."
King nearly set up a winning goal on another corner kick a few minutes earlier in overtime, but Kelli Hansen's header bounced off the top of the crossbar.
"We limited their opportunities a lot," Knights coach Mike LaHargoue said. "I attribute it to our decision making on the backline."
Finding a way around Sands and the Lehi backline felt like a futile exercise, at times, to Lone Peak.
The Knights had no trouble creating shots when they needed to. Finishing them, on the other hand, was not so easy. The Pioneers had an upper hand in finding ways to stop the ball.
King nearly put a goal on the board in the 16th minute when she delivered a free kick perfectly on frame. But Sands got her knuckles on the ball at the last second and punched it up and over the bar.
A scrum in front of the net two minutes later left an opening for Kelli Hansen to punch it home. This time, Sands came out of nowhere to cover up the ball.
Lindsay Judd and Emily Fox converged at the line to block a shot in the 49th minute. The ball spit back out to Knight forward McKenna Fox, who settled it and flicked it right back at the net. This time around, Sands latched onto the ball and denied another goal.
"They don't make mistakes," LaHargoue said of Lehi. "You would think they would make a mistake or (two). But they're solid defensively."
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com
Recent comments
OK so I just checked NSCAA.com to verify what Utah's best said. Alta…
anonymous | Sept. 26, 2008 at 2:35 p.m.
it was a good game, but i'm sorry, neither of those teams can beat…
Utah's best | Sept. 26, 2008 at 12:49 p.m.
To Lone Peak: Nice win. It shows how close the teams are. You'll…
Good win, but just a game | Sept. 26, 2008 at 12:31 p.m.
