September 28-29: Udall Park: Hosted by Desert Christian

One of the most anticipated soccer tournaments in the state will take place later this month. 14 of the top Boys teams and the top six Girls teams will converge on Udall Park for two days of soccer.

The 17th Annual Old Pueblo Soccer Classic is hosted by the Desert Christian High School’s Boys and Girls teams.

Some info on both programs from the school:

Steve Lord has a 72% winning record in his seven years at the helm of the boys. The Desert Christian boys have made the state tournament each year, losing twice in the quarterfinals, three times making it to the semifinals and, in 2010, losing in the championship game to Blue Ridge.

The program itself hasn’t had a losing season since 1992, and if the records were available it’s probably longer than that. The amazing aspect of this is the competitive nature of each program. With 170 students to choose from, the Desert Christian teams compete against the bigger Northern 3A programs that have over 900 students, and most schools fielding full junior varsity teams – yet each year they’re always competing for a state championship in the fall soccer program.

The program won state championships in 1996 and 1997.

Over on the girls side, head coach Mark Harting’s teams have a 78% winning record in his six years at the helm. More amazing than that is his teams Region/Section winning percentage of 95%.

This year’s seniors recently lost their first non-tournament game in four years. The Desert Christian girls have made the state tournament every year, losing in the quarterfinals in their first year. They made the championship game in 2008, losing in double overtime (0-1) to Blue Ridge, and have been in the semifinals the past four years. This year is even more amazing, as the team is currently undefeated while playing with only 10 girls.

The girls (3-1) are coming off of a 3-1 victory on Friday over Camp Verde and a rare regular season loss to Payson on Saturday (2-1).

Freshman Sarah Butler had a goal and two assists in the win over Camp Verde (2-4-1) with sophomore Juliet Saxton (4th minute) and junior Jenna Cray (53rd) on the receiving end of her assists.

Senior Sara Boice assisted Butler in the 18th minute.

Camp Verde’s lone goal came in the 72nd minute as a result of a hand ball. Desert Christian out shot Camp Verde 21-2.

As noted before, the seniors had not lost a regular season game until Payson (1-4-1) pulled off an upset on Saturday. Payson scored in the 1st minute but Boice tied it up on an assist from Cray 10 minutes later.

Payson went on to record the winning goal in the 65th minute. Desert Christian out shot Payson 12-7 and junior keeper Lexi Rorrer had four saves.

“Our girls are a group of warriors,” coach Harting told me. “They have been listening to what their coaches are telling them and they have been playing like there are 14 girls on the team rather than 10.”

With only 10 girls on their roster, there is no time for substitutes and, obviously, no breaks.

The AIA “seedings” for fall soccer will be released on Tuesday, September 18.

BOYS

Desert Christian
Show Low
Payson
Snowflake
Camp Verde
St. John’s
Benson
Blue Ridge
St Gregory
Academy of Tucson
Chino Valley
St. Augustine
San Miguel
Willcox

Friday, September 28

1PM
Benson vs. Chino Valley
Academy of Tucson vs. San Miguel
St. John’s vs. St. Augustine

2:30 PM
Payson vs. Desert Christian
St. Gregory vs. Blue Ridge

4 PM
St. John’s vs. Willcox
Show Low vs. Benson
Chino Valley vs. San Miguel

5:30 PM
Desert Christian vs. Blue Ridge
Payson vs. Academy of Tucson
Camp Verde vs. St. Augustine

7PM
Snowflake vs. St. Gregory
Willcox vs. Show Low

Saturday, September 29

8AM
Blue Ridge vs. Benson
Payson vs. St. Gregory
Chino Valley vs. St. Augustine

9:30 AM
St. John’s vs. Academy of Tucson
Show Low vs. Desert Christian
San Miguel vs. Camp Verde

11 AM
Willcox vs. Blue Ridge
Benson vs. Payson
St. Augustine vs. Snowflake

12:30 PM
Academy of Tucson vs. Show Low
St. Gregory vs. Chino Valley

2 PM
Snowflake vs. Willcox
Desert Christian vs. San Miguel

GIRLS

Desert Christian
Show Low
Payson
Snowflake
Camp Verde
St. John’s

Friday, September 28
Desert Christian vs. St. John’s, 1 PM
Snowflake vs. Desert Christian, 6:45 PM

Saturday, September 29
Desert Christian vs. Show Low, 8:45 AM
St. John’s vs. Desert Christian, 1:30 PM

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