Loughran scores twice to lead Tanque Verde girls to semifinal victory

Tanque Verde’s girls soccer team got just what it was looking for Tuesday night: Revenge.

The Hawks also secured their first state championship berth in the process.

Sophomore forward Nastia Loughran scored both goals to power seventh-seeded Tanque Verde past No. 6 Pusch Ridge Christian to a 2-0 win in the girls Division IV state semifinals at Tucson High.

“Our goal this year was just to make it into the state tournament,” said first-year coach Shana Olayvar. “We took one game at a time and now we’re headed to the championship.”

The Hawks (13-4-1 overall) face No. 4 Anthem Prep on Saturday at Gilbert Williams Field with a chance to bring home their first state crown. The match is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Winning it all “would be so great,” said junior midfielder Mikayla Reuter. “This would be the first time for any soccer team at our school so it’d be pretty big.”

#TanqueVerde drops #PuschRidge 2-0 in state DIV girls semis More images at https://t.co/LG7sjHf9CG pic.twitter.com/pxfV4oyjIq

— Kelly Presnell (@KellyPresnell) February 10, 2016

Tuesday’s victory marked the second time this season that Tanque Verde beat Pusch Ridge but this one in particular avenged losses against the Lions in each of the last two seasons that have kept the Hawks from qualifying for the state tournament.

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“When we finally won, it was worth waiting all this time,” Reuter said. “It’s been an amazing experience."

Loughran struck first in the eighth minute when she knocked in a Kate Gierdratis corner kick from the left side. The score came after plenty of pressure by Tanque Verde’s offense, which continued through the first 40 minutes.

“It triggered everything,” Loughran said. “When you score eight minutes into the game it sets the mood.”

Pusch Ridge (12-6 overall) gathered some momentum after halftime and came close to finding the equalizer but couldn’t capitalize on some opportunities. Second-year coach Amy Garelick said the first-half struggles were a big factor in the loss.

“Tanque Verde was better than us today,” Garelick said. “We played a great second half but Tanque Verde played a full game and they were great the whole game.”

As Pusch Ridge continued to try and get back in the match, Loughran broke lose for a goal in the 69th minute to put Tanque Verde up 2-0. At that point, she knew they had the victory locked up.

“I wanted this win,” Loughran said. “We all did because we wanted revenge.”