And with a
young team, Xavier Prep soccer coach Barb Chura was happy for the Gators’ 3-0
victory over visiting Mesa Westwood in a 6A Conference “play-in’’ game on
Thursday night at Petznick Field (Feb. 7).
Xavier
(9-6-1) advances to the state tournament that begins on Saturday (Feb. 9) at 2
p.m. The Gators will play at No. 6 seeded Gilbert Highland (13-6-1). The two met at XCP on Dec. 11, and Highland came away with a 1-0 victory.
“With so many young players, it is great that
they are able to taste this, feel what it’s like,’’ Chura said.
“This is
something to build on. I am happy for them.’’
Chura said
the program has reached the state tournament in every year of her tenure, and
that streak will continue even though the team went a different route to get
there.
And now that
the Gators are there, they’re in the “anything can happen’’ mode. They are the
two-time defending state champion.
“The seeds
don’t always matter. We’ve learned that before,’’ she said.
Xavier was
in the 11th spot in the final regular-season power-points listing by
the AIA, and Westwood was No. 22. Teams 9-24 in the rankings had play-in games
and the top eight teams qualified automatically.
The Gators
stepped up their game, playing solid defense and peppering the Warriors with
numerous scoring opportunities. To its credit, Westwood continued to play
aggressively, even when the outcome appeared inevitable.
Xavier
scored all of its goals in the first half.
Freshman
Keila Lopez Enriquez, one of the pleasant surprises of this season or perhaps
any season, scored the first goal with a little less than 10 minutes gone in
the contest on an assist from sophomore Kendall Warner.
With 3:16
left in the half, the Gators put their second goal on the board by junior Elizabeth
Warren. Junior Kaitlyn Lauck provided the assist.
And for
their third goal, the Gators proved that every second on the clock is valuable
when freshman Ansley Burns put the ball in the net with only :01 showing.
Senior Kelli Rasmussen got credit for the assist.
6A Conference “play-in’’ results
(Seedings in parentheses)
Phoenix
Sandra Day O’Connor (9) 3, Glendale Mountain Ridge (24) 1; Chandler High (17)
3, Tucson High (16) 1; Peoria Liberty (15) 3, Yuma Cibola (18) 0; Mesa Desert
Ridge (12) 2, Tempe Corona del Sol (21) 0; Xavier
Prep (11) 3, Mesa Westwood (22) 0; Surprise Shadow Ridge (13) 4, Queen
Creek (20) 1; Anthem Boulder Creek (14) 3, Phoenix Mountain Pointe (19) 1;
Phoenix Pinnacle (10) 1, Avondale La Joya (23) 0.
6A Conference first round of state tournament
Saturday, Feb. 9
(Seedings in parentheses)
Chandler High (16) at Scottsdale Chaparral (1), Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor (9) at Chandler Basha (8), Mesa Desert Ridge (12) at Mesa Mountain View (5), Surprise Shadow Ridge (13) at Chandler Hamilton (4), Anthem Boulder Creek (14) at Phoenix Desert Vista (3), Xavier Prep (11) at Gilbert Highland (6), Phoenix Pinnacle (10) at Mesa Red Mountain (7), Peoria Liberty (15) at Gilbert Perry (2).
6A Conference first round of state tournament
Saturday, Feb. 9
(Seedings in parentheses)
Chandler High (16) at Scottsdale Chaparral (1), Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor (9) at Chandler Basha (8), Mesa Desert Ridge (12) at Mesa Mountain View (5), Surprise Shadow Ridge (13) at Chandler Hamilton (4), Anthem Boulder Creek (14) at Phoenix Desert Vista (3), Xavier Prep (11) at Gilbert Highland (6), Phoenix Pinnacle (10) at Mesa Red Mountain (7), Peoria Liberty (15) at Gilbert Perry (2).
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