Chris Detrick, SL Tribune
Waterford Starts Slow, Then Rolls
by Maggie Thach, Salt Lake Tribune
* Waterford did not allow a goal in its playoff run and scored 25 goals while winning it all.
* Four goals is the fewest Waterford was held to by any 2-A team.
DRAPER - For about 20 minutes, Rowland Hall looked like it might have a chance to beat Waterford.
Saturday's Class 2-A title game was scoreless at that point, and no 2-A opponent this season has held the Ravens scoreless for more than 18 minutes. But the first goal scored by Lanie Ward at 21:26 started an offensive onslaught that gave the Ravens a 4-0 win. Waterford scored all its goals in the first half.
"We knew we had to have our best game of the season and they had to be a little bit off for us to win," Rowland Hall coach Bobby Kennedy said. "But I'm proud of my team. We're not ashamed to take second."
The Ravens spaced out their goals evenly in the first half, scoring in the 22nd, 29th and 37th minutes. Ward had a hat trick and Nicole Taylor had the fourth goal.
"It wasn't all me. I couldn't have done it without my team," Ward said. "My team gave me perfect balls."
Waterford coach Tim Dolbin was happy to see Ward finally have the game he thinks she is capable of.
"Lanie has been a great player all year," Dolbin said. "But she didn't explode until this game. It was great to see her smile going into halftime."
Dolbin is hoping that the championship, and the dominant run Waterford had through the playoffs, will help the team's cause in moving back up to 3-A next year.
Dolbin knows he might lose some underclassmen to public schools next season, and definitely one of the top players in 2-A in Nicole Taylor, who will play soccer at Penn State next year, but also points out that eight of his starters were ninth- and 10th-graders.
"We needed to take this to confirm what we've been saying," Dolbin said. "We are young and we have a few players coming up who are solid. We're here to stay. We'll stay competitive for a long time."
mthach@sltrib.com