HEBER CITY — As the rain periodically shifted between clear, cold and cloudy to heavy sprinkles of afternoon dew – Wasatch overcame a sluggish first half and re-established its defensive prowess against Hurricane in the first round of the 3A girls' soccer state tournament.

With the relentless defensive pressure, the Wasps discovered the second round underneath a rainbow after recording their ninth shutout in a row with a 2-0 victory Tuesday afternoon.

It didn't take long for the first goal to arrive. Minutes into the first half, junior Meagan Luke took advantage of a soft cushion of defenders. With a crisp pass from a fellow teammate, she broke from the pack, separating herself 30 plus yards – leaving her in a one-on-one situation with the opposing 'keeper.

As she yo-yoed back and forth, frantically crossing from foot to foot – she began to aim towards the right corner of the net, but, at the last moment – she countered the angle and shot a bullet into the bottom left corner for the first score.

However, this would be the last goal for the remainder of the first half, which was due in large part to the adverse weather conditions. As the Wasatch players proceeded to refresh at halftime, a team meeting was called. It was time to regroup, and resort back to fundamental soccer.

The message was heard perfectly.

Within the first ten minutes of the second half, lightning would strike once more. With the ball on the far right hand side, Tristin Lowe galloped down the sideline – when in the blink of an eye, slammed on her brakes, and came to a screeching halt – leaving the defender in the dust. With the newfound breathing room, she lofted a perfectly placed ball dead center for Anne Fitzgerald who soared in for a statement header.

"We've been working on headers the last couple of weeks, and she got her forehead on it. It's just technique," said Wasatch coach Dawain Wheatley.

With the comfortable lead, the Wasps employed "lockdown" mood – forcing Hurricane into rushed and uncomfortable scenarios – a strategy that has quickly become the first and only agenda on the list. Wheatley credits the ability to completely shut down opposing offenses to an tough preseason schedule.

Wasatch earned a date with Bear River (6-9-1) in the quarterfinals with the win. The Bears picked up the 4-1 upset over Delta in the first round on the road.

"We know that Bear River is a good team. They're solid - they have some good aggressive girls," said Wheatley. "But we feel confident if we play our game. It's tough to score on us, and we pose some problems for other teams."