Sandy • Of the 21 players on Timpanogos' roster, 14 are freshmen or sophomores. And yet, watching the Timberwolves play Skyline in the Class 4A finals at Rio Tinto Stadium, it was clear that they were the ones who had been on the state's biggest stage before.

A year after finishing as runner-up to Bonneville, Timpanogos was the aggressor, the team that dictated most of the match. And it only took one goal in the opening minutes of the match — fired by senior defender Lexie Henrie — to seal the program's second championship in three years with a 1-0 win over the Eagles.

"Our girls set the tone and came ready to play ball," coach Natalyn Lewis said. "That made all the difference. They weren't disrupted by playing here, so they could focus in and execute."

The Timberwolves finished a season of one-goal games, double overtime games, games in which they were pressed — all kinds of conceivable situations. Even in its postseason run, the team never beat any of its opponents by more than a goal.

Henrie said it was one of the factors that gave the team so much confidence playing in its third state final. So in the fifth minute when she cut back just outside the goal box, she calmly sent the ball rocketing into the net over the hands of Skyline keeper Alli Spencer.

"I knew I wanted [a goal], that's for sure," Henrie said. "A lot of those games gave us stamina. So many of our games were so close, it definitely paid off."

But the game wasn't won in a moment — Timpanogos played some of its best soccer with the lead, pressing back the Eagles with strong midfield aggression.

Senior Jamie Harward and freshman Jordyn Chung-Hoon pushed back against Skyline's vaunted defense for most of the match with deft passing and a swift counterattack. Many of the times Skyline put a ball on Timpanogos' side of the field, they found it back on their end quickly, and Spencer had to make several athletic grabs.

Junior forward Ashley Aberton, who had scored 19 of the Eagles' goals, found herself outrun and out-muscled against the Timberwolves' back line.

Even when she had her looks — including a one-on-one with keeper Sydney Oldroyd — Aberton couldn't find the net.

Both teams have only two seniors apiece. It seems reasonable that although Timpanogos won this bout, there could be more down the road.

"They had more experience and played their game," Skyline coach Yamil Castillo said. "Hopefully, if our players can make it back, I think we could see them again." —

Highlights

R Timpanogos wins its second championship in three years with a 1-0 win over Skyline.

• Senior defender Lexie Henrie scores the deciding goal in only the 5th minute of the game.