After a one-year absence, the Mingus Union High School girls soccer team made its return to the Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championship.
But the 15th-seeded Marauders [7-6, 3-1 4A Grand Canyon] were bounced out of the tournament in the first round at the hands of No. 2 Thunderbird High School by a 5-1 score on Feb. 1 at Thunderbird.
“They were able to control the midfield well, and unfortunately that determines the game a lot of times,” Marauders head coach Andrea Strobel said.
Five first-half goals by the Chiefs effectively put the game away. Strobel said that the Thunderbird midfielders got into the spaces between the Mingus midfielders and defenders.
That penetration allowed them ample space to get shots toward goal. During the team’s Jan. 12 matchup, Thunderbird totaled 28 shots, 16 of which on target, to come away 4-1 winners.
“At halftime we had a nice little chat and we were a different team [in the second half],” Strobel said.
Strobel added that the team made a tactical change, putting its two defensive midfielders in tighter with the defensive four, effectively making a wall. In contrast, that change allowed the Chiefs to control the entire midfield.
Mingus senior forward Auli Hanks was also forced to play deeper than normal, and freshman midfielder Marli Urueta played higher up the field.
To generate offense, the Marauders defended and waited for a counterattack opportunity, which they eventually got. Hanks linked up with Urueta, who grabbed the consolation goal.
Mingus kept Thunderbird out of its net in the second half, and limited it to a small number of tame shots.
“They [the players] were able to totally change the way the game was played at halftime,” Strobel said. “They changed their attitudes and outlook.”
Strobel mentioned that her team had a number of sick players, and two junior varsity players also saw time on the field.
Overall, she was satisfied with the season.
“It was a fairly good season, better than last year,” Strobel said. “Next year we hope to improve even more so with the girls getting used to playing with each other.”
Hanks will play soccer at the NCAA Division III level next year as a Beloit College Buccaneer, converting from one kind of swashbuckler to another.
