Tucson’s top-seeded high school boys soccer teams split their state semifinal games on Tuesday, with Salpointe Catholic advancing to another championship round, and the Tucson High’s season ending a game short.
Salpointe Catholic (22-2) punched their ticket to the state final for the 14th time with a 4-0 win over No. 4 Chandler Arizona College Prep in a class 4A boys semifinal game held on the campus of Mountain View High School in Marana.
Salpointe’s 14 state final appearances are tied for second most in Arizona boys soccer with Phoenix Brophy Prep.
“It never gets old,” Salpointe coach Wolfgang Weber said. “I feel good about where we are right now but whoever we have to play in the final that’s going to be a big challenge, so there are no guarantees of anything.”
Salpointe faces No. 2 Scottsdale Saguaro in the state final on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Glendale High School. Saguaro beat No. 3 Phoenix Barry Goldwater 4-1 in other boys 4A semifinal.
Salpointe Catholic defeated Chandler Arizona College Prep, 4-0, on Feb. 21, 2023 in the Arizona Class 4A state boys soccer semifinals, held at Mountain View High School in Marana. The win propels the No. 1 Lancers to the state championship match against No. 2 Scottsdale Saguaro. Video by James Kelley/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Salpointe sophomore forward Leo Gutierrez earned a first half brace with a goal in the 35th minute. The goal was assisted by sophomore defender Marco Torres. Gutierrez then scored again by converting a penalty kick in the 38th minute.
Salpointe added a pair of goals late from senior defender Bradyn Lambert and Torres. Both were assisted by senior midfielder/forward Nicolas Valenzuela.
Salpointe has won 12 straight matches and 14 of their last 15. They beat Flowing Wells 8-0 in the quarterfinals and before Tuesday had won their last seven by at least seven goals.
“I do have to give some credit to the other team. We haven’t been challenged in a long time defensively as we (were) today,” Weber said. “I mean, we’ve given up only 15 goals the entire season. This is an opponent where we really had some concerns in the first half.”
Salpointe has won nine state championships, including the last two. The Lancers are tied with Brophy for most boys soccer state titles.
Arizona College Prep (20-5) had won seven in a row, including 1-0 over Mica Mountain in the first round of the state tournament.
