D-III girls soccer state preview: Young Walden Grove on the rise
February 3, 2015 by Jose Garcia, AZPreps365
Walden Grove's girls soccer program put the school on the soccer map, and it only took the girls three seasons to do so.
In that short amount of time, the soccer program went from a 2-9-1 first year record to a 21-1-0 campaign in its third year of varsity of existence. The rapid reward was a No. 1 seed, Walden Grove's first in any sport, in the 2014-15 Division III girls soccer tournament.
The program is young with seven sophomores, but it's quite a sophomore class. Walden Grove's sophomore ringleader is Isabella Solorza, who also happens to lead the state in goals with 34.
But Solorza also is a great distributor. Her team-high 28 assists have helped set up sophomores Lauren Henn (15 goals), Malia Vanisi (14 goals) and Rachel Carrell (16 goals).
The experience of Walden Grove is on defense, where junior captains Sarah Carrell and Katrina Chesney reside along with Natalie Licht and Daelyn Mayer. Walden Grove is the No. 1 seed, but the favorite to win the D-III tournament this season is the defending state champ, Fountain Hills.
Alison Mabery's squad returned most of her key players from last season to help Fountain Hills fend off D-III and upper division teams this season. Fountain Hills hasn't lost to an Arizona team this year, but don't be surprised if Northwest Christian gives Fountain Hills a good match if the teams meet in the semifinals.
For Fountain Hills, Leah Carillo is a proven leader up front, and defender Sierra Jerriel is the backbone of the defense.
First round matchups and seeds (To view D-III state bracket go here.)
No. 1 Walden Grove vs. No. 16 Pusch Ridge. Pusch Ridge's defense, which hasn't allowed more than one goal since its first game of the year, will need to continue to step up when it faces one of the state's top offensive attacks.
No. 8 Valley Christian vs. No. 9 Nogales. Valley Christian is young, especially on defense, but can score (55 goals) with striker Madeline Brown (21 goals) leading the way. This is only the second time in the past nine seasons that Nogales (10-7-1) has won at least 10 games.
No. 5 Scottsdale Prep vs. 12 Palo Verde. Scottsdale Prep lost its top two offensive threats during the season to injury, but Miya Speno (18 goals, 9 assists) and captain Amber Miller, a defensive midfielder, stepped up. Jim Mentz's Palo Verde squad is 12-8-1.
No. 4 Rio Rico vs. No. 13 Scottsdale Christian. Rio Rico's lack of depth didn't keep it from earning its second consecutive playoff berth. Vero Cruz, Maria Delgadillo, Nicole Paco and Jackie Giron have each scored more than 10 goals for Rio Rico. Scottsdale Christian has seven freshmen and sophomores, including sophomore Kate Lawrence (19 goals).
No. 3 Fountain Hills vs. No. 14 Safford. Fountain Hills won its division in the Horizon Tournament of Champions tournament. Safford is 6-5-1.
No. 6 Mingus vs. No. 11 Pueblo. Mingus has been a model of consistency, winning at least 10 games in the past eight seasons. Pueblo earned its second consecutive playoff berth, the first time that's happened in the past 20 years. Annalisa Verdugo is dangerous is the midfield for Pueblo.
No. 7 Seton Catholic vs. No. 10 Sahuarita. Freshman Axenia Alo leads Seton Catholic, the 2014 state runner up, with 21 goals. Taylor McClelland has recorded 100 career goals for Sahuarita.
No. 2 Northwest Christian vs. No. 15 Yuma Catholic. He's not a new coach at Northwest Christian, but this is Jeff Penzone's first season as the girls head coach. Penzone carries one of the more balanced scoring and experienced teams in the tournament. Yuma Catholic has given up only two goals in its past nine games.
