Bulldogs claim state soccer title in second overtime
SALT LAKE CITY — The Judge Memorial Catholic High School soccer team is still riding high after pulling off a state victory in the second overtime of the final match against Morgan. The Bulldogs took home the state cup in the 3A UHSAA Boys Soccer Championship May 12, defeating Morgan 1-0 at the Zions Bank Stadium at RSL Academy.
The win came about after the season started out with head coach Kelly Terrill taking everyone who tried out – all 31 of them – and molding them into a formidable team that took the season by storm.
“I thought it was going to be a good year,” Terrill said. “We had some really powerful forwards, some really good players coming back.”
The team experienced a few losses early in the season, but then the Bulldogs hit their stride, winning all eight region games and easily clinching the Region 13 title against Morgan in a 4-1 game.
In the first two rounds of state playoffs they defeated Providence Hall 8-1, Maeser Prep 8-0 and went on to leave Delta in the dust in the semifinals with an 8-2 finish.
It was a far cry from last year, when the team did not win a single game in its 15-game season. The winning streak was a surprise to many who had discounted the Bulldogs after last year’s disastrous finish. What made the difference this year over last?
“I think it was their commitment to training, to each other and the system that we run,” Terrill said, adding that the team worked hard, believed in themselves and ultimately emerged victorious.
The final game against Morgan was a harder win than the regional championship, with a scoreless game until that second overtime.
“I was worried about my kids being able to play a game where it was very, very competitive through the entire game,” Terrill said.“They were not tested until that game … All day long I knew it was going to be a game where we had to compete the entire time. The finals are never easy, but this was going to be extra difficult. All year long, we had criticism of our defense by the media that we were not a team that could keep it on the board because we score a lot of goals.”
That final game was frustrating, Bulldog striker Joe Paul said.
“During the game, we didn’t get one goal,” he said. “It kind of set us back. We were a little confused and frustrated with each other. It was unlike the previous game against Delta, where we were just gelling.”
After a scoreless game, an overtime passed with still no score on the board.
Finally, Cameron Lundy broke free and was able to pass the ball to Paul, who shot it in the net.
“I knew it was the perfect ball and I could finish it,” Paul said. “My thought was ‘Finally!’ After many missed chances and being upset with myself, finally we did it.”
Striker Jack Terrill, a sophomore, was the leading scorer in the state this year with 27 goals. Paul was second with 26 goals. Terrill, Paul and Gedeon Baende combined for 60 goals together – “probably the highest trio in the state,” Jack Terrill said.
“As I look at those goals, they don’t really matter to me,” Jack Terrill said. “I look at the overall wins and the play as a team. I had 12 assists – the most on the team. I pride myself on that.”
After this year’s state win and 15-3 record, coach Terrill is hoping for more of the same next season. While he will lose his three seniors, Logan Seat, Sam Schmiett and Ferdinand Bababate, whom he described as “standout players,” he said he expects to have a good team in the back field next year.
The Judge Memorial Bulldogs last took home a state soccer trophy in 2010.
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