Three years ago, the Minnesota Aurora advanced to the USL W League national championship game in their inaugural season.

Saturday night, another team playing its first year in the league stopped them one step short of returning.

A goal by Ellie Walbruch in extra time at the end of the first half proved the difference as the expansion Utah United topped the Aurora 1-0 in a national semifinal matchup before a crowd of 5,607 at TCO Stadium.

Utah (12-1-0) advances to face defending champion NC Courage U23 — which defeated Asheville City SC 2-1 in Saturday’s other semifinal — for the national title next weekend.

Minnesota finished its season 12-1-2 overall.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Aurora defender Charley Boone said. “You can almost taste (a berth in the national championship game). But hopefully this is just fuel for next season.”

Utah — which entered play leading the league in goals — controlled the tempo for much of the first half, keeping the pressure on Minnesota goalkeeper Taylor Kane and the Aurora defense.

“I think we started a little junkier than I anticipated,” Minnesota coach Jen Larrick said. “We’re used to this home crowd, so usually it rattles the other team a little more than it rattles us. But we were a little off during the first 10 minutes.”Yet, Aurora forward Ava Westlund started to assert herself as play went on, firing off a shot from just to the left of United goalkeeper Taylor Rath, then breaking free in front of the Utah net before Rath stepped up to make another save.

That set the stage for Walbruch to score in extra time, beating Kane to the ball and driving it into the net to put the United up by a goal at halftime. It marked just the second goal the Aurora had surrendered at home all season.

“I’m not going to lie, it was hard to have that happen right before halftime,” Boone said. “But we tried to use that as fuel going into the (second) half.”

The goal meant the Aurora found themselves trailing, a position in which a team that had allowed just four goals all season entering Saturday’s game hasn’t found itself in very often.

“It’s definitely a bit of a mental battle,” Boone said. “You go from being level with a team to being below them a little bit, so it’s always in the back of your mind that you have to score. The pressure is on.”

Yet Minnesota did not go quietly, continuing to create opportunities — including three shots that sailed high of the net in extra time. But Boone and company could not find a way to get the ball past Rath.

“We were building,” Boone said. “I think if you gave us another five minutes, we would have created a few more chances for ourselves. We just ran out of time.”

Kane, meanwhile, finished the night with five saves. But it was the one the United managed to get past her that sent them on to play for the title.

“It’s hard to watch them dancing right now,” Larrick said toward the end of her postgame interview.

“We work so hard to go undefeated and it stings when you lose and you don’t get a chance again.”