Kofa faces No. 2 Desert Vista in quarterfinals

Kofa didn't celebrate for long after their 1-0 playoff victory over No. 10 Chaparral Tuesday, as their minds focused quickly to today's quarterfinal match against No. 2 Desert Vista.

“They were so excited about their win on Tuesday, but then you just have to turn around the very next day and start preparing for the next game,” said Kofa coach Marisela Velasquez. “I think we've kind of put it on hold a little bit, embracing the whole experience and what we've accomplished so far. We'd like to see how far we possibly can go and when it is all over and done with, we can look back and celebrate what we've done.”

Velasquez said she doesn't know much about her opponent besides the fact they are tall and are ranked No. 2, but after beating Chaparral, who had a clear height advantage over the Kings, she thinks they can translate what worked in that match up to this one.

“I think it helps a lo. There were a few times where we did play it on the ground and good things happened, so I'm hoping we'll do that some more tomorrow.”

Kofa was originally slated to play at 2 p.m., but since the game was moved to noon, Kofa decided to leave early and spend the night in Phoenix.

“Our school has been very supportive,” Velasquez said. “(They) helped us get rooms and helped us get up here the night before so the girls will be able to get a good night's sleep, get breakfast in the morning, and then head over to the field.”

Tuesday's playoff win was the first for Kofa under Velasquez after being knocked out in the first round in their three previous trips to the postseason.

“I just think it's all settled in for everybody and we're feeling more confident about ourselves,” she said. “That was a quality team, so we're feeling confident so hopefully we can go out and have a similar game and play strong and see what happens against Desert Vista.”

Matt Carstens can be reached at mcarstens@yumasun.com or 539-6880. Find him on Facebook at facebook.com/MattCarstens