Salpointe Catholic’s girls soccer team won its tournament for the first time since 2008 on Saturday night.
The Lancers (6-0) held off defending state champion Walden Grove 1-0 to win the Brandon Bean Kickoff Classic.
“It was amazing,” said Becky Barry, Salpointe’s second-year coach. “Two great teams that played competitive the whole tournament, showed up, played some great soccer. I’m proud of the girls of how they competed, all tournament long, tired legs.
"They came out tonight and fought and found the back of the net.”
Junior forward Rachel Kinnison scored the game winner in the 49th minute.
“It was kind of crazy, in the box, there was a lot of people and it was kind of hard to see, but I don’t know, I got the ball, turned and shot,” Kinnison said. “I thought the keeper was going to save it, so I was a little nervous.”
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Walden Grove (5-1) won the Division III state championship last season and had won 18 straight matches. The Red Wolves hadn’t lost since Dec. 30, 2014.
Although Salpointe puts on the season-opening Brandon Bean tournament every year, this is the first time the girls have won it in seven seasons.
“It feels really good, we haven’t won it for a while,” Kinnison said.
Salpointe beat Mountain View 2-0, Flowing Wells 7-0 and Sunnyside 6-0 in pool play and then Cienega 5-3 on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals and Mountain View 2-0, again, in the semifinals.
Salpointe alumnae and FC Tucson women’s player Kelly Pierce Kearns coaches the Mountain Lions.
“It was a great tournament, great competition through out,” Barry said. “It was really phenomenal, a nice way to kick off the season.”
Last year the Lancers went 1-1 against the Red Wolves, winning 2-1 in overtime in the Walden Grove Invitational.
“It was a big win,” Kinnison said. “We played Walden Grove in the tournament last year and both matches we played them were really tough.”
