Sometimes a seemingly ill-advised shot can be just what a team needs.

Junior attackman Griffin Perkiel scored the game-winning goal from about 20 yards with 32 seconds remaining in overtime to give host Park City a dramatic, come-from-behind, 8-7 victory over Jordan in a thrilling Utah High School Lacrosse League Division I semifinal Wednesday night.

Perkiel took a pass from senior middie Matt Mersereau during an unsettled situation and fired a low shot from way outside to send the Miners (12-3) to the state championship game for the first time in program history.

“He just fired one that we were all shouting, ‘No’ at,” an elated Park City head coach Ryan Sheaffer said. “And it went in.”

Park City will next face unbeaten Brighton in Saturday night’s state-title game. The championship contest will be played at Viewmont High School, with the opening face-off scheduled for 7 p.m., MDT.

In the teams’ only regular-season meeting, Brighton beat Park City, 12-9, on April 14. Park City enters the title game on a five-game winning streak.

“They’re a very good team,” Sheaffer said. “We’re excited for the chance to see them again. We felt like we didn’t give them our best effort the first time we played, and we’re excited to get another chance at it.”

On Wednesday, Mersereau finished with a team-high four points on a goal and three assists, Perkiel added three points on two goals and one assist and senior attackman Dillon Dutkanych and senior middie Sam Sisk each had two points on a goal and an assist for Park City.

Sophomore attackman Chris Boland, senior middie Max Vought and junior middie Mark West all scored once to round out the offense.

In defeat, Henry Robbins scored three goals and added an assist for Jordan, which finished the season 6-8 after pulling off back-to-back playoff upsets in the first two rounds.

Park City led 2-1 at the end of the first quarter, 5-3 at halftime and 6-5 at the end of the third quarter. But the Beetdiggers would not go down without a fight.

Jordan scored back-to-back goals to start the fourth, with Ian Spendlove tying the game, 6-6, with 11:18 remaining and Robbins giving the Beetdiggers a shock, 7-6 lead with 9:29 to play. Jordan maintained a one-goal lead for more than seven minutes before West scored his only goal of the night with just 2:16 remaining to force overtime.

That set the stage for Perkiel’s daring and audacious attempt at goal, which he fired from an open space.

“I’m just overwhelmed and excited for our guys,” Sheaffer said. “I’m very impressed with the character of our team, coming back from a deficit late in the second half. I think we’ve learned a lot from the close games we’ve played recently.

“Hats off to Jordan and their program. They’ve had an incredible turnaround.”