Originally written by John Theriault, Special to AZPreps365.com

Desert Vista soccer player Piper Garvin laughed when asked what she was doing while she was in kindergarten.

“Kindergarten? I guess I really don’t remember,” she said smiling.

The reason that year was important was because it was the last time a Thunder girls’ soccer team won a state championship. The year was 2015. There was a runner-up in 2017, and three semifinal appearances in four other seasons after that, but the program hadn’t raised a gold ball since. 

Garvin made sure that all changed on Saturday morning. 

Locked in a 1-1 battle against No 2 seed Pinnacle (12-7) in the 6A State Finals match at Mesa High School, the frosh showed nerves of steel when she lined up for a penalty kick seven minutes into the second half.

After initially being stone-walled on a nice save by Pinnacle netminder Gabby McCray, Garvin received a rebound and proceeded to blast it past McCray for what would prove to be the game-winning goal in Desert Vista’s 3-1 title win.

“She just turned 15 in December. She was 14 most of the season. To be a freshman and put that moment on your shoulders in a state championship and have the confidence to say ‘I’ll take it I’m good. But that’s just her. She exudes confidence,” said Jack Soutar, coach for the Thunder.

From early in the contest, while the Thunder would get on the board first, it was the Pioneers who held an edge in intensity throughout much of the first 45 minutes. 

Desert Vista’s Virginia Roth found the back of the net, when she rushed up the right side and fired from 15 yards out, beating McCray for the 1-0 lead with 26:32 left before halftime.

But despite that goal, Pinnacle forced the play regularly, and aggressively, finally getting on the board on a Mya Stenehjem rocket from 30 yards out that found its way into the net just under the cross bar with 14:39 to go in the first frame. This created a 1-1 halftime score.

In the second half, however, the play shifted dramatically in favor of the No 1 seeded Thunder (15-3), something Pioneers’ coach Jen White warned her team about during the intermission.

“I told (the team) to expect (Desert Vista) to come out with a lot more intensity, and they did. We held the edge in the first half, but I knew it would change in the second half,” White explained.

“We had our chances, and we just didn’t capitalize. We, of course, are disappointed we didn’t win but second place is not bad,” White added. 

Putting the match out of reach for the Thunder was Katia Cabanillas. 

Late in the game, during a brief lull in the action, that allowed the junior to steal the ball away from the Pioneers’ defense and fire it in from just outside the goal box for the 3-1 advantage where it would remain.