Salpointe Catholic girls soccer rallied to win the 4A state championship for the third season in a row.
No. 2 Salpointe (15-2-1) upset No. 1 Walden Grove (19-2) 2-1 on Saturday at Tucson High School.
Walden Grove had beaten the Lancers 2-0 at Salpointe on Dec. 7.
“It feels great,” Salpointe coach Kelly Pierce said. “Every year it feels different, and there’s different anxieties and stresses and emotions. But this one was really good just to let them get that back since they beat us earlier in the season.”
It’s the first real loss for the Red Wolves all season. They fell in penalty kicks to Tucson High in the Brandon Bean Soccer Tournament on Dec. 2. Earlier in the tourney they beat the Badgers 2-0.
Last year the Lancers eliminated the Red Wolves in the state semifinals by penalty kicks.
Walden Grove’s Vivien Villarreal, left, gets a foot on the ball ahead of Salpointe’s Brindiski Pickett in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School on Feb. 25, 2023.
The title is Salpointe’s 10th, the second most all time behind only Phoenix Xavier College Prep, which has 13. The Lancers’ third straight championships is tied for the longest active streak with Xavier.
“It’s a really special team, special moment to end the season,” Salpointe senior Rylen Bourguet said.
Walden Grove, which opened in 2011, won the Division III state championship in 2015.
WG sophomore defender Madison Landman opened up the scoring with a goal in the eighth minute off an assist from freshman forward/midfielder Vivien Villarreal.
Then, in the 13th minute, Salpointe senior goalkeeper Jasmine Delgado saved a Walden Grove penalty kick from Villarreal.
“What was going through my mind is, ‘She’s a really good player. She had most of their shots for Walden.’ And I was thinking it could go either way,” Delgado said. “So I was just really focusing on her body positioning.”
Salpointe Catholic's Rylen Bourguet scores the would-be title-winning goal on an assist from Kassidy Sherfield in the 4A girls state championship soccer game at Tucson High School. (James Kelley, Special to the Arizona Daily Star)
Pierced said the penalty save was huge.
“Jasmine has stepped up insanely well since we put her in, and she’s really peaked and been a stud,” Pierce said. “She had a couple good saves today.”
A couple of minutes later, Salpointe sophomore Cristina Conlon scored. Instead of being down 2-0, the Lancers had tied it up.
Salpointe’s Bella Malovich leaps into the arms of Rylen Bourguet after Bourguet poked home the game winner past Walden Grove keeper Megan Blatnik late in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School on Feb. 25, 2023.
Bourguet scored the state-winning goal in the 65th minute off an assist from freshman Kassidy Sherfield.
“I happened to be in the right space at the right time. Itt doesn’t take much, just a tap,” Bourguet said. “It was a great, great pass from my outside winger, so I appreciate that; set me up perfect.”
Salpointe Catholic's Rylen Bourguet scores the would-be title-winning goal on an assist from Kassidy Sherfield in the 4A girls state championship soccer game at Tucson High School. (James Kelley, Special to the Arizona Daily Star)
Salpointe has nine freshmen on its roster.
Last season Salpointe and Walden Grove also split during the regular season. The Lancers beat the Red Wolves in 2021 in a non-region game. In 2019-20, they drew 1-1.
“I think everyone is out to get us every game; I feel like it’s (always) a rivalry for the other team,” Pierce said. “I think this season was huge because they’re a very talented team and have a lot of young girls that are goal scorers.”
Salpointe ends the season on a 14 game unbeaten run and 12-game winning streak. The Lancers also snapped Walden Grove’s 15-game winning streak.
Corner kicks
Salpointe’s 10 state championships equaled the feat the Lancers boys team achieved on Friday night. The Lancer boys have also won three straight.
The Salpointe girls watched the stream of the boys game at school, and members of the boys side, including Coach Wolfgang Weber, came to Saturday’s game. “We always try to support them, and they always support us,” said Pierce, who graduated from Salpointe in 1999. “Wolfgang is like my idol, he’s my inspiration, and now we both have a three-peat and we both have 10, so it’s awesome.”
Salpointe’s 20 total soccer titles is tied for the most with Lakeside Blue Ridge and the most for any big school if you count Xavier and Brophy College Prep separately. “It’s awesome. The soccer program here at Salpointe, girls and boys, is amazing,” Bourguet said. “It’s a great culture to be around. I’m so proud of the boys, and I thank them so much for supporting us out here tonight especially.”
Photos: Salpointe edges Walden Grove, 2-1, state 4A girl's soccer championship
Salpointe's Bella Malovich (9) leaps into the arms of Rylen Bourguet (2) after Bourguet poked home the game winner past Walden Grove keeper Megan Blatnik (0) late in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Kaela Castro (9) tries to maneuver between Salpointe's Mandy Tran (8), left, and Kealia Nansen (44) in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Anjeli DesRosier (26) steps in front of Walden Grove's Kaela Castro (9) to snuff out a Red Wolves attack in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Friends and teammates console Walden Grove's Jessica Garcia (8) after the Red Wolves fell on 2-1 on a second half goal to Salpointe in the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe players hoist the trophy after edging out Walden Grove 2-1 in the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Megan Blatnik (0) smothers an early shot from Salpointe during the 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Anjeli DesRosier (26) elbows her way to the ball through Walden Grove's Vivien Villarreal (21) in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Odessa Barattieri (4) heads the ball from in front of Walden Grove's Kaylee Purtle (17) at the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Anjeli DesRosier (26),left, and Walden Grove's Milana Eyrich (4) tangle for the ball in the 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Mandy Tran (8) slips into the poke the ball off the boot of Walden Grove's Milana Eyrich (4) in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Jessica Garcia (8) just beats Salpointe's Alexis Hanus (7) in the race to a midfield ball at the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Kassidy Sherfield (28) clears the ball from Walden Grove's Milana Eyrich (4) in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Mikaela Winter (2) and Salpointe's Alexis Hanus (7) wrestle for control near midfield in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
/w against /s in the half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Mikaela Winter (2) runs over Salpointe's Emma Veliz (99) in pursuit of the ball along the touchline in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Walden Grove's Vivien Villarreal (21) gets a foot on the ball ahead of Salpointe's Brindiski Pickett (16) in the first half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's goalkeeper Jasmine Delgado (17) palms the ball out of danger next to teammate Alexia Carranza (12) in the second half of the girls 4A state high school soccer championships against Walden Grove at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Anjeli DesRosier (26) leaps in against Walden Grove's Mia Miranda (15) during the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Brindiski Pickett (16) dribbles out of the range of a lunging tackle from Walden Grove's Vivien Villarreal (21) during the girls 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
Salpointe's Bella Malovich (9) leads the team yell just before the Lancers kicked off against Walden Grove in the 4A state high school soccer championships at Tucson High School, Tucson, Ariz., February 25, 2023.
