Saltillo girls clinch first 5A Soccer Championship with 2-0 win over West Harrison

Caroline Hamm grabbed MVP honors after scoring the go-ahead goal in the 61st minute

BRANDON — Saltillo's girls had never earned a shot at a state championship on the soccer field. After Saturday, they are one for one on lifting the golden ball.

Behind an aggressive offensive attack that possessed the ball 80 percent of the game, Saltillo grinned out a 2-0 win over West Harrison to claim the MHSAA Girls Class 5A State Championship Saturday afternoon at Brandon’s Bulldog Stadium.

It’s the Lady Tigers' first state title in school history.

“We did everything we could do for 80 minutes except score. We got two goals there in the final 15 minutes and the players showed resiliency,” said Saltillo coach Matthew Reeder. “Young players stepping up when we needed them too and being in the right spot to be valuable for us and played a heckuva game and I can’t be more proud of them.”

Saltillo (17-3) had three chances on one possession to score, but West Harrison goalkeeper Kylie Williams made three consecutive saves to prevent the Lady Tigers from finding the net.

Saltillo outshot the Lady Hurricanes on goal 11-2.

Saltillo found the net in the 61st minute as Caroline Hamm scored off a corner kick to give the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead.

“We controlled the whole game and when I scored, I felt like I could take a breath and throughout the game coach told me to put my body through and I did that one time and I scored,” Hamm said. “At halftime we talked about if we can just find the net they would break down. We’ve worked for this moment for so long, lost to Lafayette many years in a row and finally here and finally won and to be a part of this and to make history is awesome.”

Hamm was named the game’s most valuable player.

In the 77th minute Saltillo’s A.C. Crouch was fouled in the box and O.J. Miller scored the penalty kick to give the Lady Tigers the 2-0 lead.

“When we scored it was a big sigh of relief and we should’ve scored three or four times but the ball just wouldn’t go in. Caroline has been very valuable to us and stepping up in big spots and her really puts pressure on the defense and is hard to deal with and she was able to push that in there for us,” Reeder said. “West Harrison was a physical team and a good team. First time here and first one, so hopefully we can use this as a stepping stone and I was tell the girls is we want to get better, so this is a great push, so we’re going to move forward and try to get back here next year.”

West Harrison, who made their third appearance in the state title game, finished the season 17-5-1.

“The girls played hard and fought hard. Just a tough environment and didn’t come out on our end,” said West Harrison coach Ally Hancock. “Defense did its job and that’s something we preach on and it’s been a while since we’ve been in this game and we will use this to get better.”