Whether it’s because of population density, home-field advantages, AIA power rankings or just plain luck, the Phoenix area tends to have Tucson’s number when it comes to state playoffs.
Saturday, a handful of Southern Arizona teams struck a blow for the 5-2-0.
Catalina Foothills and Salpointe Catholic beat Phoenix Thunderbird and Scottsdale Arcadia by matching 4-0 scores, setting up an All-Tucson Class 4A girls state championship game. The Falcons and Lancers will play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mountain View High School. The game will be played locally because of the all-Tucson nature of the final.
Hannah Draper, Tatianna Lizarraga, Rebecca Burrows and Caitlyn Maher all scored for the fifth-seeded Falcons as they took down the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Chiefs.
Tucson Sunnyside defender Carlos Frias heads the ball clear of a Glendale Independence attacker during the second half of their 5A state semifinal soccer game at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019.
Third-seeded Salpointe, meanwhile, continued a state playoff run that began with a win over Douglas and continued with a state quarterfinal victory over Prescott. In three rounds, Salpointe defeated its opponents by an aggregate score of 10-1.
Foothills and Salpointe were two of four local teams to advance to the state championships on Saturday.
Top-seeded Sunnyside continues its tear through the Class 5A boys bracket with a 4-2 win over Glendale independence at Scottsdale’s Coronado High School. The possibility of an all-Tucson final was scuttled hours later, when third-seeded Gilbert Campo Verde beat No. 2 Rincon/University 5-1.
The Blue Devils will face Campo Verde Wednesday night at 5 p.m. at Scottsdale’s Coronado High School.
Salpointe Catholic’s top-seeded boys team punched its ticket to the Class 4A state title game with a 4-1 win over fourth-seeded Flagstaff at Gilbert Williams Field High School. The Lancers outscored their opponents 19-1 through three rounds of the playoffs. They’ll face No. 6 Prescott in Tuesday’s Class 4A state title game at Williams Field. The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
The full list of scores — and a state finals schedule — is below:
Boys soccer
Class 5A state semifinals:
No. 3 Gilbert Campo Verde 5, No. 2 Rincon/University 1
No. 1 Sunnyside 4, No. 5 Glendale Independence 2
Up next: Sunnyside will face Campo Verde in Wednesday’s Class 5A state title game. The match starts at 5 p.m. at Scottsdale Coronado High School.
Class 4A state semifinals:
No. 6 Prescott 1, No. 7 Catalina Foothills 0
No. 1 Salpointe Catholic 4, No. 4 Flagstaff 1
Up next: Salpointe Catholic will face Prescott in Tuesday’s Class 4A state title game. The match starts at 6:30 p.m. at Gilbert Williams Field High School.
Girls soccer
Class 5A state semifinals:
No. 5 Gilbert Campo Verde 1, No. 1 Ironwood Ridge 0
Class 4A state semifinals:
No. 5 Catalina Foothills 4, No. 1 Phoenix Thunderbird 0
No. 3 Salpointe Catholic 4, No. 2 Scottsdale Arcadia 0
Up next: Foothills will face Salpointe in Wednesday’s Class 4A state title game. The match starts at 6:30 p.m. at Mountain View High School.
