The Division III state girls soccer champions may not have been Mingus Union High School this season, but without a doubt the Marauders were their fiercest test of the postseason.
Fountain Hills High School needed an extra session to score its first and only goal of the state semifinal Feb. 12 in a 1-0 win. Sophomore Leah Carillo sneaked past four Marauders defenders and pushed a kick into the right corner of the goal past sophomore goalkeeper Kylie Hudson at the 4:15 mark of the first overtime period.
“I feel like our defense did a really great job keeping them out of our zone for so long,” Hudson said. “I felt very accomplished afterwards that we held them for so long.”
MUHS could only manage two shots on goal the rest of the game, quick shots from senior Haley Backus, as the Falcons kept their zone otherwise clear en route to the victory — their closest margin and only overtime game of the postseason.
“We have to keep the ball,” said sophomore Brenna McCallum, who was one of the defenders closing on Carillo right before her goal but expects her role to be more up in the midfield next season. “We get rushed when it gets up front, so we just have to work on controlling it in their half more.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 19, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
