Brophy, Pinnacle win Division I soccer state titles
Brophy had to work extra time for the second straight match Saturday but received the ultimate payoff, defeating top-seeded Hamilton in penalty kicks for a 1-0 victory and its second straight Division I state championship.
The second-seeded Broncos, who also needed penalty kicks to defeat Alhambra in the semifinals, outscored the Huskies 4-2 in the penalty-kick shootout. They have now won three title in the last four years.
Brophy finished 21-2 under first-year head coach Noah Lewkowitz; Hamilton ended the season with a 23-2 record.
Fergus Shanks scored the decisive goal in the shootout for the Broncos after doing the same in the semifinal win, and goalkeeper Phil Mourikes stopped the first two penalty kicks to give Brophy a chance to put it away.
The third time was the charm Saturday for Pinnacle, which got over the hump after two straight seasons of state semifinal losses with a 1-0 win over Perry for the Division I state championship.
Remarkably, it was the fourth straight shutout for the Pioneers, who did not allow a single goal in the playoffs. Pinnacle, which finished 20-3-3, now has two state titles after also winning it all in 2011.
REPLAY SCHEDULE ON FOX SPORTS ARIZONA
Division I boys: Monday, 8 p.m.; Feb. 24, 7 p.m.
Division I girls: Monday, 6 p.m.; Feb. 24, 5 p.m.
Division II boys: Monday, 4 p.m.; Wednesday, noon
Division II girls: Monday, 2 p.m.; Tuesday, 1:30 p.m.
Kayla Fleming scored the match's only goal, putting Pinnacle on the board in the 39th minute with what turned out to be the title-clinching tally.
Perry was playing for its first state championship and making just the second championship appearance for the school in any sport.
Tucson finished an unbeaten season with the program's first-ever state title Saturday, defeating Copper Canyon 3-0 in the Division II championship match.
The fourth-seeded Badgers got goals from Giovanni Ahumada, Emilio Villatoro and Julian Gaona in the win, with Gaona's goal -- his 31st of the season -- coming on a penalty kick and allowing Tucson to start its celebration early. The Badgers finished the season 21-0-3.
Sixth-seeded Copper Canyon, playing in its first state championship match, ended the year 20-3.
Verrado shut down top-seeded Catalina Foothills in regulation and then finished off the upset in the penalty-kick shootout Saturday, earning a stunning 1-0 win and the Division II state title.
Catalina Foothills, which finished 22-2-2, had won four straight state titles and was seeking its ninth championship overall, which would have set a state record. They had won their last eight appearances in the state championship match.
Second-seeded Verrado got two big saves from goalkeeper Shea Smith on penalty kicks to finish with a 4-3 advantage, with Taylor Desanti netting the game-winner.
Verrado, which had been outshot 22-1 going into penalty kicks, finished the year 17-2.