Gilbert players celebrate their rally from 3-0 down to beat Red Mtn, 4-3 (AzPreps.365.com)

Ben Holzer has guided Gilbert's girls soccer program for 21 years and Thursday night he witnessed a first in that span. 

Trailing Red Mountain 3-0 midway through the first half, Gilbert managed to tie the match by halftime and completed the improbable rally with a goal in the first overtime to edge the vistiing Mountain Lions, 4-3, in a 6A play-in game.

Sophomore Sarah Boudreau's header off a corner kick by senior Nicole Hoffman in the first minute of the first 10-minute overtime was the game winner. Gilbert (11-10) advances to next week's first round of the state tournament. First-round opponents for boys and girls soccer will be announced beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday on AzPrep365.com's webcast of the soccer bracket show for 6A-3A. First-round games for girls are all on Jan. 30.

"Not had that happen before," Holzer said of his team's comeback. "Not in the playoffs. If you continue to believe in yourself you give yourself a chance. That's what the girls did tonight."

Red Mountain (8-9-2), looking for its first postseason win -- state tournament or play-in game -- since the 2010-2011 season, seemed on its way after shocking the hosts with the early three-goal onslaught. The Mountain Lions Emily Bailey scored in the 11th minute. Teammates Jessie Boult and Kaci Tilghman scored one minute apart for a 3-0 lead with 17 minutes leff in the first half.

The way Gilbert was playing getting one goal before the half would have been a motivator, but the Tigers opted for more. Leading scorer Ellie Neal got Gilbert on th board in the 30th minute and the Tigers followed by matching Red Mountain's two goals-in-a-minute strategy. Amberly Hastings and Neal tallied in the 34th and 35th minute, respectively, to send the teams even at intermission. Neal's second goal was from 40 yards out at least.

Gilbert managed to make it to overtime thanks to a pair of nice saves in the final seven minutes of regulation keeper Sam Wheeler. Wheeler was under the gun much of the first half, but the Tigers made it a little easier for their keeper with some second-half adjustments defensively. At least until the final seven minutes.

"This was not your typical soccer game," Holzer said. "It was more like a college football game. It's good for the girls to know and see for themselves it's within them to come back."