Crystal ball tabs Xavier Prep as 6A favorite
February 1, 2017 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365
It's next to impossible to tag a favorite for the 6A girls state soccer tournament with a fistful of teams proving capable of winning it all during the just-concluded regular season.
Evidence from January results -- Xavier 2, Hamilton 1; Xavier 1, Perry 0; Desert Vista 1, Xavier 1; Perry 0, Hamilton 0; Hamilton 2, Desert Vista 1; Highland 1, Desert Vista 0; Desert Mountain 2, Xavier 2; Pinnacle 1, Desert Mountain 0.
However, that can go with the territory when previewing a tournament. Here's a look at the prime contenders, some that could make a run and others who shouldn't be taken for granted.
Wednesday (Feb. 1) first-round matches are: #16 Desert Ridge at #1 Hamilton; #9 Corona del Sol at #8 Highland; #12 Rincon at #5 Desert Vista; #9 Sandra Day O'Connor at #8 Desert Mountain; #14 Chandler at #3 Millennium; #11 Gilbert at #6 Perry; #10 Tucson a t #7 Pinnacle and #15 Mesa Mtn. View at #2 Xavier Prep.
Quarterfinals follow on Saturday Feb. 4, semifinals Wednesday Feb. 8 and title match on Saturday Feb. 11. The first two rounds are at the site of the high seed and semis and final are at Campo Verde High School.
FAVORITE: #2 seed Xavier Prep (10-1-3) -- Not much separates the top contenders, but because the Gators have no losses to Arizona schools they get the nod. They won the rigorous Premier Region title competing against Hamilton, Perry, Chandler and Basha. Xavier is led by junior forward Abby Hubbard (22 points), including four game-winning goals; sophomore forward Kyhla Ferry (31 points, 13 goals; senior Quiqui Hita (17 points) and junior defender Nicole Hook. Xavier is 5-0-3 against opponent that qualified for the tournament. The Gators have allowed 11 goals.
CAN WIN IT ALL: #1 seed Hamilton (14-3-3) -- The Huskies are led by senior captains Jessica Wong, and Emma Robson (midfielder/defenders) and junior forward Sammi Atterbury. Atterbury has 13 goals and 10 assists. Hamilton was 6-2-1 against state-tourney qualifiers. The Huskies split two games with defending champion Desert Vista -- one a power-point match and the other the title match of the Arizona Showcase. #5 seed Desert Vista (18-3-1) -- The Thunder, defending state champs, were the favorite to win the Central Region, but a loss to Highland two weeks ago ended up costing them the title. Desert Vista played more than half its schedule against state tournament qualifiers and posted a 7-3-1 record in those. Top players are senior forward Carly Bych (11 goals), senior midfielder and captain Paige Maling (10 goals, 7 assists) and Isabel Deutsch senior defender and set-piece leader. #6 seed Perry (19-2-1) -- After opening the season with a 1-0 loss to Desert Mountain, the Pumas reeled off 19 wins in a row and were in the thick of the Premier Region title race. They were denied by Xavier, who ended the win streak with a 1-0 victory. Perry closed the season with a 0-0 tie with Hamilton. Perry's two losses and tie are to the No. 1-2-4 seeded teams. Perry is 9-2-1 vs. state tournament qualifiers. Perry' standouts are junior midfielder Amanda Dahl (35 goals, 23 assists); swift senior forward Kiara Parker (20 goals, 19 assists) and back third players senior defender Rachel Wolter and junior keeper Makayla Aman. Perry has allowed seven goals this season.
