Citizen Staff Writer
ASH FRIEDERICH
and RODNEY HAAS
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
One of the main strengths for the Rincon/University High boys soccer team all season has been finding the back of the net.
With some of the Rangers’ best scoring threats unable to score during Tuesday’s opening round of the Class 5A Division II boys soccer playoffs, the team needed to turn to someone else to protect their home field.
Rebaz Ahmed picked up the slack, scoring just his third goal of the season in the 69th minute to help No. 3 Rincon beat No. 14 Yuma Kofa 2-1 and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Rincon forward Mihn Vu sent a high pass across the Kofa box, where Ahmed was waiting.
“I just wanted to win the ball and I just went for it,” said Ahmed, who redirected Vu’s pass into the net for the game-winner. “I just take risks and I try to work for every ball.”
It was an assist Vu thought wouldn’t happen.
“I think I over hit it a little bit, but (Ahmed) got there,” Vu said.
Kofa, who had been ranked as high as No. 2 in the 5A-II Power Rankings this season, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when Jose Medina sent a Marcos Garcia assist in for a goal.
“I saw that no one was on the 18 yard line, so I ran to the short (side of the field) and got the pass,” Medina said. “I looked at the far post and took the shot and scored.”
Rincon tied the game at 1 when Kofa’s Armando Tapia scored an own goal in the 19th minute.
“We were lucky they got an own goal,” said Rincon coach Roxanne Taylor. “We were having a hard time getting the ball in the net. We had to outshoot them 2-to-1, but they weren’t going in.”
The Rangers will play either Glendale Deer Valley or Peoria Centennial at Cienega on Saturday. A time has not yet been set by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
No. 2 San Luis 2, No. 15 Mountain View 0: At San Luis, Mountain View ends its season with a 7-10-1 record. The Mountain Lions lost last week in the semifinals of the 5A-II Southern Region tournament.
Class 5A Division I
In Mesa, Tucson High’s Joe Caito scored a goal in the 70th minute with an assist from Jorge Bravo to give the No. 10 Badgers a 2-1 victory over No. 7 Mesa Mountain View.
Tucson High plays No. 2 Red Mountain in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Phoenix Paradise Valley High School.
No. 5 Gilbert High 3, No. 12 Salpointe Catholic 1: At Gilbert, Salpointe got its lone goal in the 53rd minute off a Niko Dougall penalty kick.
No. 4 Gilbert Highland 8, No. 13 Sierra Vista Buena 2: At Gilbert Highland, Buena’s J.C. Henson and A.J. Harris scored the goals for the Colts.
Class 4A Division I
Scoring opportunities against Catalina Foothills star keeper Michael D’Arrigo are usually tough to come by.
Canyon del Oro forward Nick Marshall took full advantage of a the small window of opportunity the Foothills defense gave him Tuesday. Marshall scored a pair of goals – one in the 21st minute, the second in the 22nd – to lead CDO to a 4-2 win over their 4A Sonoran Region rivals in the opening round of the 4A-I playoffs.
“Against Michael D’Arrigo, it’s hard to get anything. He’s an unbelievable goalie,” Marshall said. “. . . You try to do the best you can to put the ball in the net and I happened to get two chances in front of the net and I didn’t miss them.”
D’Arrigo made a diving save of a Marshall shot on goal in the 16th minute, but wasn’t as lucky in the 21st minute. Marshall, always attacking, broke the scoreless tie with a floating kick that that went off the fingertips of the Foothills keeper.
Just one minute later, Marshall scored again off a Donny Toia assist to give CDO a 2-0 lead.
Marshall added an assist on a Michael Valacich goal in the 27th minute.
“If we finish our easy opportunities, then that’s how we are going to win the game,” said CDO coach Josh Marshall, Nick’s older brother and a former CDO star soccer player. “Those two (Nick Marshall) had back-to-back were easy opportunities and no matter how good the goalie is, those are easy opportunities and he’s a good forward and you have to finish.”
No. 2 CDO advances to play No. 7 Prescott at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Tucson High.
CDO outshot No. 15 Foothills 11-6 on Tuesday as D’Arrigo had seven saves while CDO keeper Ryan Retz had four.
Kyle Larson got Foothills on the board in the 44th minute to cut the lead to 3-1, but CDO’s Kyle Cornel pushed it back to a three-goal lead with a goal in the 78th minute.
Foothills’ Sergio Mejia added one more goal shortly after that to close the scoring out at 4-2.
“We started off well, then I guess at halftime we laid down and got that goal at the end which kind of sealed it up,” said Marshall.
Foothills, the defending 4A-I boys soccer champion, ends its season 9-8-6 and loses six seniors from this year’s team.
“I appreciate how well CDO plays and I wish them nothing but success,” Foothills coach Julie Walters said.
No. 3 Sabino 3, No. 14 Peoria: At Sabino, Jeff Weiler scored two goals for Sabino in the ninth and the 60th minutes to help the Sabercats advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal against Avondale Agua Fria at 6:30 p.m. at Tucson High.
Sabino’s Alex Elenas-Long opened the scoring in the fifth minute.
No. 1 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 4, No. 16 Nogales 2: At Cave Creek, Nogales’ season ends after winning the 4A Kino Region tournament and finishing with a record of 8-9.
No. 5 Scottsdale Chaparral 4, No. 12 Sahuaro 2: At Scottsdale, Sahuaro finishes the season 7-11.
Class 4A Division II
At Douglas High, Ramon Acosta scored the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs in the 45th minute with an assist from Martin Paco as No. 2 Douglas defeated No. 15 Sahuarita 2-1.
Douglas is scheduled to play No. 10 Flagstaff in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
No. 3 Phoenix Washington 4, No. 14 Palo Verde 2: At Phoenix, Palo Verde’s Assani Igulu scored both goals for the Titans in the loss.
No. 8 Tempe 1, No. 9 Catalina 0 (4-3 in shootout): At Tempe, Catalina lost in a shootout, 4-3. The two teams were scoreless through regulation and both overtime periods.
Catalina goalkeeper Roman Vega finished the game with seven saves.
Staffwriters Geoff Grammer and Raymond Suarez contributed to this article
Boys soccer: Rincon gets unusual goals to advance past first round
GIRLS SOCCER
Thirteen southern Arizona girls soccer teams take their first steps toward state titles with opening-round games Wednesday around the state. All matches are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
Class 5A Division I
> No. 13 Tucson High at No. 4 Phoenix Desert Vista
> No. 9 Mesa Mountain View at No. 8 Salpointe
> No. 16 Sierra Vista Buena at No. 1 Tempe Corona del Sol
Class 5A Division II
> No. 13 Mesa Desert Ridge at No. 4 Ironwood Ridge
Class 4A Division I
> No. 14 Sabino at No. 3 Sahuaro
> No. 12 Canyon del Oro at No. 5 Cienega
> No. 9 Flowing Wells at No. 8 Phoenix Thunderbird
> No. 16 Avondale Agua Fria at No. 1 Catalina Foothills
Class 4A Division II
> No. 13 Flagstaff Coconino at No. 4 Douglas
> No. 12 Sahuarita at No. 5 Bullhead City Mohave
> No. 9 Palo Verde at No. 8 Glendale Raymond S. Kellis