Truckee girls down Faith Lutheran to claim 3A crown

When Jessica Nelson scored a game-tying goal midway through the first half, it looked like the feisty Faith Lutheran girls soccer team might pull off another comeback victory.

But instead of echoing their comeback victory over Spring creek in a Class 3A state semifinal on Friday, the Crusaders fell victim to a dizzying flurry of scoring.

Truckee (Calif.) scored three times in the final 15 minutes of the first half Saturday on its way to a 5-3 win over Faith Lutheran in the 3A state title game at the Mesquite Sports Complex.

“Once one or two goals happened, it kind of almost snowballed,” Faith Lutheran coach Dave Elliott said.

Couple the barrage of Wolverines goals with the Crusaders playing with at least three injured starters, and the game quickly got out of hand.

Kathryn Dill and Kelsi Decker scored two goals each for Truckee (24-2), which also got a goal from Mikaela Arnstein.

Stephanie O’Neil had two assists, and Dill, Adele Shaffer and Kelsey Porter added one apiece for the Wolverines.

In preventing Faith Lutheran from winning its first state title, Truckee earned its second straight Nevada state championship.

Wolverines coach Amy Valdivia pointed to the play of her team’s four seniors to explain the late first-half surge.

“They motivate each other and know what it’s about to win state,” she said.

Sydney Spoon, Jessica Nelson and Kari Moloney scored for Faith Lutheran.

Faith Lutheran (17-1) had a chance to narrow the deficit to 5-4 in the final three minutes, but a shot bounced harmlessly off the crossbar.

Injuries hit the Crusaders hard, with defenders Seanie Petersen (ankle) and Jessica Nelson (leg) and midfielder Krystal Onyema (ankle) all playing hurt.

“Injuries were part of it, but I’ve got a lot of girls who played with a lot of heart,” Elliott said.

Marissa Fehrman had six saves for Faith Lutheran, which loses only one senior before moving to 4A next season.