Walden Grove High School’s girls soccer program exorcised its Salpointe Catholic demons to win the second state championship in team history.
The No. 2 Red Wolves (20-0-1) beat No. 4 Salpointe on Friday night at Marana High School to win the Class 4A title and avenge two straight playoff losses to the Lancers.
“That’s what makes this so much better because it wasn’t just last year in the state final, it was the year before in the semifinal,” Walden Grove coach Troy Bosley said. “To finally have us get over that hump is an incredible feeling. It makes this win so much more important and so much better.”
Salpointe beat Walden Grove 2-1 last year in the state final after eliminating the Lancers in the semis in 2022, also played at Marana.
“I think it just completely feels like we did it for our alumni,” Red Wolves senior defender/midfielder Meredith Galus said. “Last year we had Mikaela Winter and Jessi Garcia who was with us that were just like, ‘we need to do it for them, we need to do it for ourselves, this is our last year, we have nothing left to lose’ so I think it was just an extremely important moment for us — especially for my sophomore Vivien (Villarreal).
Walden Grove’s Vivien Villarreal (23) leaps on teammate Meredith Galus (6) after Galus scored the insurance goal in the Red Wolves 3-1 win in the 4A girls state soccer championship.
“We’re all so tight-knit. We play (together) in club and it was our time to win.”
WG’s only blemish this season was a 1-1 draw at home to Salpointe. Last year during the regular season the Red Wolves beat the Lancers 2-0 only to fall in the final.
In 2021-22, they tied Salpointe 2-2 in the regular season before losing to the Lancers 4-2 in a shootout.
“It feels good,” Villarreal said. “We always just wanted to work hard for each other and push each other and be the better versions of ourselves than we were last year and just continue to grow as a team together.
“We were able to accomplish (that on Friday).”
Despite walking with a limp after hurting her ankle in WG’s quarterfinal win on Feb. 17, Villarreal scored the equalizer and game-winner in the championship bout.
“In my mental space I was 110% no plays off, even if something was hurting it didn’t matter because I can rest at the end,” Villarreal said. “But this is a game that I had to play completely.”
Walden Grove’s Milana Eyrich (4) wins the ball by inches against Salpointe’s Emma Cazares (12) in the second half of Friday’s the girls 4A state championship game at Marana high School.
The sophomore scored off a corner kick in the 20th minute from an assist from sophomore defender/midfielder Alissa Spear, and then in the 70th minute, she scored her second of the night.
“So for her to show up consistently every single game, not only with the goal scoring but with the assists and just the hard work up top, it’s such an amazing thing for her ... on top of everything else,” Bosley said. “She deserves everything that she gets.”
Villarreal finished the season with 48 goals to top Meredith Scott’s school record of 47 goals set in 2021-22.
“It is a great opportunity to have that but I’m just grateful that I was able to play on this field today and score the goals that needed to be scored,” said Villarreal, who has 83 in her high school career.
With 117 points, Villarreal topped the 4A, and her strike partner, senior Milana Eyrich, was second with 104.
“Milly is just an incredible player. I love playing with her,” Villarreal said. “We (compliment) each other so well. Her energy just makes me push myself to be a better teammate for her and this game was just for all my other five seniors too ... just for them so they could get this win that they deserved completely.”
Walden Grove’s Meredith Galus (6) celebrates her free kick goal against Salpointe late in the second half of Friday’s state championship matchup.
Although the game was part of a 4A state final doubleheader where Salpointe (13-3-2) played in both the boys and girls finals, the Sahuarita-based Walden Grove crowd was clearly the loudest of the day.
“Our fans have really showed out tonight and to win it in front of them there,” Bosley said, “you can’t ask for any more and the way it went down and getting our opportunity to go at Salpointe again, who’s an amazing team and is coached really well by Kelly (Pierce), it’s just so amazing the way that everything turned out this season.”
Salpointe sophomore Emma Cazares opened the scoring in the game’s sixth minute.
The Red Wolves’ previous state championship came in 2014 at the Division III level, which is about 4A. They drew 0-0 with Fountain Hills in the final before winning the shootout, 5-4.
Salpointe was seeking its fourth straight state championship and 11th overall. Walden Grove opened in 2011; Salpointe in 1950.
Galus scored an insurance goal in the 74th minute on a 35-yard free kick that she tucked behind the Salpointe goalkeeper.
Walden Grove’s Megan Blatnik (1) gathers in the ball off the leg of Salpointe’s Bella Malovich (9) at the edge of the box in the first half of Friday’s state championship tilt.
“Honestly my keepers had told me that it’s such a hard ball for people to hit and during practice I’ve been hitting them every single time so my coach was just like ‘you need to get this in,’” Galus said. “It’s a shot and honestly going through my head I was like ‘my legs are dead, I just need to hit this thing and I heard like the stadium go silent and I was like ‘this is my chance to just get it in the last 10 minutes’ and it just happened for me.”
Salpointe’s Emma Veliz (99) and Walden Grove’s Kaela Castro (9) vie for control along the touchline in the first half Friday’s 4A girls state championship matchup in Marana.
