San Luis boys advance; Kofa falls
Coach Ian McDougall made one immediate statement after saying his No. 10 San Luis boys soccer team upset No. 2 Corona de Sol 2-0 Saturday in an AIA Division I Quarterfinal.
“No. 2 seed my (butt),” he exclaimed.
The Sidewinders pulled of their second road upset of the playoffs — opening with a 4-3 win over No. 7 Alhambra — to advance to Thursday's semifinals, where they'll face No. 3 Desert Vista. The game will be 5 p.m. Thursday at Camp Verde High.
“We prepped our butts off and it showed,” McDougall said. “We were ready for what they brought.”
Javier Espinoza opened the scoring in the 8th minute, intercepting a clearing pass in the backfield and converting. In the 75th minute, Raul Ordorica scored on a counter attack to give the Sidewinders a cushion.
Jorge Guttierez opened the game in goal for the Sidewinders but left with an injury. Espinoza took over, making four saves. The Sidewinders outshot the Aztecs 17-8.
Kofa girls fall
The Kofa girls soccer team had a shot to tie it in the final moments but ended up falling to No. 2 Desert Vista 1-0 in an Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I Quarterfinal on Saturday.
Desert Vista scored midway through the first half and the lone goal ended up being enough for a win.
In the final minute of the match, freshman midfielder Kaylana Bustillos crossed a shot past the Desert Vista goalkeeper but a Thunder defender managed to clear the ball before it went into the net.
“I looked up and saw there was less than a minute left and we knew that was all we had,” Kofa coach Marisela Velasquez said.
The loss ends a season that saw Kofa host a state playoff game for the first time under Velasquez.
“It was heartbreaking, especially for our seniors,” Velasquez said about the loss. “But the steps we made this year, with getting out of the first round and hosting a playoff game, the program definitely has a bright future.”
