Gaona: Southern AZ girls soccer back at title-worthy level

That loss in penalty kicks to Scottsdale Notre Dame snapped a remarkable run for Foothills, which had appeared in five straight title matches, winning four. Furthermore, it marked the first time since 2004 that a local girls soccer team didn’t reach the championship game at that level, which was previously known as Class 4A.

Almost exactly a year from that night last February, Tucson’s girls soccer scene is back.

“I think it’s better than ever because you have a lot of parity rather than one of two monsters,” Foothills coach Dave Lemon said, “There’s good quality soccer all the way across the board.”

Of the 16 teams to qualify for the Division II state tournament this winter, seven were from the Tucson area, including four in the top eight. Chances are pretty good that one of the four locals still alive will capture a championship next weekend in Phoenix.

“That would be awesome; I think it’s always a win when you get a Southern Arizona team in the championship game,” said Becky Barry, Salpointe Catholic’s second-year coach. “It’d be great to have one or two Tucson teams in the final. One would be great, two would be better — we’d be guaranteed a Southern Arizona champion.”

Salpointe, which possesses a 21-1 record, earned the No. 1 seed and is hoping to reach the final for the first time since 2001. The Lancers host ninth-seeded Sahuaro on Saturday for a trip to the state quarterfinals, after the Cougars topped No. 8 Tucson High 2-0 in the first round Tuesday night.

“They’re the team to beat and they deserve to be No. 1 with their record and quality of play over the season,” Sahuaro coach David Kruszewski said of the Lancers. “We feel like we can play against them. We’re going to give them everything we’ve got any if we play out best game we will definitely have an opportunity for sure.”

Sahuaro is the only team to beat Salpointe this season, making the matchup even more intriguing. Having them face this early in the postseason is unfortunate, Lemon said, because both are capable of winning championships.

With a victory Saturday afternoon, Ironwood Ridge would face the winner of the Sahuaro-Salpointe match in the semifinals next week. The Nighthawks finished the regular season ranked fourth, after just missing out on a state tournament berth a year ago. Despite graduating a tremendous senior class, coach Sean Watkins put together another tough team, which has lost just one of its last eight matches. That defeat came on the road against Salpointe, in overtime.

Foothills is the lone remaining local team in the bottom half of the bracket, which also includes defending champion Notre Dame.

The seventh-seeded Falcons travel to play No. 2 Surprise Willow Canyon in the quarterfinals on Saturday but aren’t intimidated by any opponent, thanks to the high level of play during the regular season in Southern Arizona. Lemon expects one of the three local teams in the top of the bracket to reach the final and he hopes his group can continue rolling with a six-match unbeaten streak.

Even though Tucson was left without a Division II finalist in 2015, there was still another local winner in Walden Grove, which captured the Division III crown. The Red Wolves returned just about everyone and are back in the quarterfinals this season, with a tough Palo Verde squad on the opposite side of the bracket.

If the two were to meet in the final, it would only be another reminder of the quality of girls soccer in town.

“It’s as high as it’s ever been,” Lemon said. “We’re in a pretty good place right now in Southern Arizona.”