Salpointe Catholic boys win record 10th state soccer championship, 3rd in a row

After a scoreless first half at Glendale High, the top-seeded Lancers (23-2) scored four goals to win the 4A state title for the third year in a row — the first three-peat in school history.

“But what it’s really about and I’m going to make that really clear is that it’s about these players,” Weber added. “The credit goes to all the players…and I also need to give a great deal of credit to my associate head coach Luis Gonzalez.”

Salpointe’s three straight titles is the longest active streak in boys soccer. Chino Valley has won two in a row at the fall soccer level.

“Honestly it’s so surreal,” Salpointe senior forward/midfielder Nicolas Valenzuela said. “This team has been everything to me. These past four years with a great coaching staff with Wolfgang — he’s legendary. He always says it’s about us and this one truly feels like it.

“He’s so selfless. He’s a great guy. I love this team.”

In the 67th minute, Valenzuela scored the game’s first goal on an assist by sophomore forward Leo Gutierrez. Just a minute later, Salpointe sophomore Marco Torres scored from a free kick near midfield.

The Lancers end the season with a 13-game winning streak and up until Friday had won nine in a row by at least four goals.

The No. 2 Sabercats (18-3-1) entered the final on a 13-game winning streak of their own (14 games in a row unbeaten run). That included a 3-0 win over No. 7 Walden Grove in the quarterfinals.

The Lancers passed Phoenix Brophy Prep for most state titles among big schools — generally those at the 4A, 5A or 6A level. That mark is second among all schools to Lakeside Blue Ridge, which has 11 competing mostly between classes 1A and 3A.

Salpointe’s only losses this season were at Tucson High, the top-ranked team at the Class 6A level heading into its state tournament, and to Glendale Ironwood, the Class 5A No. 1 seed, in a holiday tournament. The Lancers also beat 3A state champion Phoenix Country Day on the road.

In the 69th minute Friday, Saguaro senior midfielder Jack Dunlop received a red card. However, about five minutes after that, senior midfielder Brendan Stafford scored the Sabercats’ lone goal of the match.

Salpointe responded 14 seconds later, when Gutierrez scored in the 76th minute off an assist from senior defender Albert Aguirre.

“When we were up 2-0 I was a little confident. I’m not gonna lie,” Gutierrez said. “Once they scored I was a little bit nervous — a little bit scared — because obviously 2-1 is the most dangerous score in the game. They have all the momentum, but it felt great to get the goal as soon as we started the kickoff and I think that really helped with the team’s confidence and helped us get this game in a winning result.”

In the 77th minute Saguaro senior defender Wade Crum was also sent off.

A minute later, Valenzuela earned the brace with his second goal.

“I think a big difference was the fact that we kept our composure at all times and didn’t even panic when they got a goal and there was this skirmish there where they wanted the ball right away,” Weber said. “I think a big difference was we knew how to control our emotions because it was a good first half. It could have gone either way.”