Seniors Auli Hanks, Holly Johnson, Yadira Romero and Sienna Duenas ended their careers at Bright Field for the Mingus Union High School girls soccer team with plenty to be happy about.
They enjoyed a 15-0 thrashing of visiting Lee Williams High School in front of their friends and family and Johnson scored her first-ever goal in high school soccer, but most importantly the team qualified for the Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championships.
Five others contributed goals to give the Marauders [7-5, 3-1 4A Grand Canyon] the victory necessary to qualify for the state tournament. On Friday, Jan. 27 they were seeded No. 15 in the Division 4A tournament.
“It was really nice to see a lot of different girls scoring, it was nice to play a team that really allowed us to work more on our game,” Marauders head coach Andrea Strobel said. “Because we need that practice.”
Mingus enjoyed possession for almost the entire game, allowing the Volunteers into their offensive half of the field only a few times. Freshman midfielder Marli Urueta and Hanks combined for the first two goals, which came just 10 minutes into the contest.
Hanks lofted the ball over the Volunteers’ back line to Urueta, who took advantage of a whiff by the last defender to put away the first. Urueta then received the ball from Hanks on the edge of the penalty area, made a tight turn inside with her right foot and finished with her left.
Romero notched the third with a bar-in shot, then freshman midfielder Jaiden Behlow found fellow freshman midfielder Felicia Bueno with a low cross into the six-yard box for the fourth.
Johnson’s goal came straight from the goalkeeper, whose goal kick went straight to her to dribble back in and finish, and at halftime it stood 5-0.
Mingus struck three times in three minutes to open the second half, with one each from Romero, Hanks and Bueno.
Hanks unselfishly laid the ball off to Bueno on the right, who then returned to sender and hit Hanks in stride to head it home.
Urueta used a defensive giveaway to pick out Bueno inside the penalty area, who tapped in the finish.
“I think we kept the positions pretty well, the defense did great, they did a lot of things really well,” Strobel said.
Romero’s third was sandwiched by another from Urueta and a Volunteers’ own goal to push the lead to 11-0.
Marauders sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Priest came on with 12 minutes remaining to replace freshman Zoe Arwine, who had to make just one save on the lone Lee Williams shot. Mingus totaled 28 shots, 18 of which were on target.
Marauders junior midfielder Bella Dalu scored off a feed from Hanks. Hanks scored three inside the last eight minutes to secure her double brace.
“Because of senior night we were very emotional,” Hanks said. “We were getting prepared for State.”
Hanks also had three assists, as well as two each for Urueta and Bueno.
“I don’t think I’ll be making any more goals, but ya, I’m definitely excited,” Johnson said of the team’s third trip in four years to State. “It’s nice to make it again.”
The team’s first round opponent is No. 2 seed Thunderbird High School, with kick off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1 in Phoenix. On Jan. 12, the Marauders fell to the Chiefs, 4-1.
