The last time the United States hosted the World Cup was 1994. That also happens to be the year Park City High School boys soccer won their first ever state championship. This year’s team didn’t match that success, but Park City did go on to win six other championships between then and now. Back in 1994, prior to the start of the soccer season (spring semester for boys), the Park City squad had never won anything. But there had only been a boys team for a few years, so Park City parents and soccer fans had not endured much heartbreak to this point. The Miners (then in 3A) started off 2-0 in region play, including a shootout victory over rivals Wasatch High (ranked third in the state at the time) after the overtime period ended in a 3-3 tie. Goalie Travis Hurteux stopped Wasatch’s fourth shooter to secure the victory and told The Park Record, “Oh my god, I was about to pee” when talking about nerves ahead of the shootout. Unfortunately, the Miners lost three straight games after the 2-0 start, so they would need a strong finish just to make the playoffs. And a strong finish they got. First, they took down the No. 1 ranked Lehi Pioneers at home on the smaller-than-average-sized soccer pitch at Dozier Field. Then they won both ends of a home and away series against Morgan to tie Uintah High School for second place in the region. As Park City and Uintah had split their season series with an equal goal differential, second place and home advantage for the state playoff quarterfinals officially came down to a coin toss, which Park City won. For the quarterfinals, Park City hosted Delta for what turned out to be a thriller for the players and spectators. Park City led 2-1 at halftime, and Delta scored two to Park City’s one in the second half to bring regulation to a close with a 3-3 tie. Delta had even led 3-2 and was looking to secure the victory before Park City scored with only a few minutes to play from a Mike Anderson header off a long throw-in. Park City scored first in the overtime period and held their lead until Delta was given a penalty kick with four minutes remaining, which they converted to send the game to a shootout. Not only did the game go to a shootout, but the shootout was extended into sudden death. Hurteux played hero once again, as he subbed in for regular goalie Chris Gray for the penalty kicks. His save in sudden death allowed Joe Pack to step up and knock in a winning kick for Park City to send the miners on to the semifinals. Their semifinal match against Vernal again went to extra time after a 1-1 draw in regulation, but the Miners scored three in the extra period for a 4-1 win, bringing them to the finals, where they matched up once again with top-ranked Lehi. In the championship match, with the Miners down three starters (due to injury and academic suspension), regular goalie Chris Gray this time played the hero. He made several diving saves, among other solid shot-stopping. Gray told The Park Record, “It meant winning state. I had to save them.” The newspaper noted the Miners were outplayed most of the match, but they came away with the victory, thanks to Gray in goal, along with a spectacular bicycle kick in the final minutes of play by Enzo Mileti that found the back of the net. Mileti, who was named the tournament MVP, called it the greatest moment of his high school career. Immediately after the victory, head coach Gary Blanton told The Park Record that it had not hit him yet that they had just won their first ever title. As The Park Recordrelated, it literally hit him moments later, “when the team smeared victory cake in his face and dumped the water jug over his head, á la the NFL.” Before the summer runs out, be sure to check out the Park City Museum’s tour offerings, including a Main Street walking tour, a Park Avenue walking tour, and a Glenwood Cemetery tour. Sign up and purchase tickets here: https://parkcityhistory.org/events/. Dalton Gackle is the Park City Museum research coordinator. The post Way We Were: Putting in the extra time appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less