It's been six years since the Salpointe girls have had a taste of the state playoffs and first-year coach Becky Barry has them right back where the Lancer faithful believe they should be, a quarterfinal shot against the top-rated Division II team in the state.

No. 9 Tucson Salpointe traveled to Yuma to take on No. 8 Kofa and sophomore Rachel Kinnison scored in the 6th minute to give Salpointe the early lead. Not used to playing from behind, the Kings evened things up when Leticia Casillas converted on a penalty kick in the 35th minute.

Freshman Lauren Bollinger scored in the 63rd to give Salpointe the victory. Their reward will be a quarterfinal trip to play at No. 1 Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep on Saturday.  Notre Dame Prep avoided an upset at home in the first round Tuesday night, having to defeat No. 16 Flagstaff on PKs (4-3).

No. 6 Tucson Sahuaro fell to No. 11 Gilbert Campo Verde 1-0 at home on a goal from Sebrina Rodriguez in the 58th minute. This was one of four upsets in D-II on the night and it set up a quarterfinal match between Campo Verde and No. 3 Tucson High on Saturday.

The Badgers defeated Phoenix Thunderbird 2-0 to set up their half of the match. Senior Shania Pablo gave Tucson a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute on a touch from Yesenia Contreras and freshman sensation Sabrina Zepp added a 20-foot driving shot that found the top-shelf in the 43rd for the final 2-0 margin.

Even though Thunderbird was out-shot 11 to 2, sophomore standout Kayla Terhune saw her team grow together this year with a common goal.

"We treated every game like they were big games this year," said Terhune. "We didn't make it last year and everyone knew what to expect and that was a big difference. We will be ready again next year."

For her part, Zepp feels like everyone else on her despite being a starting freshman on a team dominated with talent. "I felt comfortable from the beginning," she explained.

"We each brought our different skills and I think that's what makes us so special. We have come together. I love this team."

David Lemon is in his first year at Catalina Foothills. Though he replaced the legendary Charlie Kendrick, Lemon has molded this team into another title contender and his team responded with a 5-0 victory over No. 12 Glendale Independence in the first game played at Tucson High Tuesday night.

With six offsides penalties and numerous long touches, one could see how overanxious the Falcons were in the first ten minutes of the match. That can usually be a recipe for an upset but Catalina Foothills has too many talented players for that to happen.

All-State senior forward Emily Parker found sophomore Payton Maxwell in the 25th minute and things began to click from there and, by the time the final horn blew, Catalina Foothills had recorded 19 shots to none for Independence.

Parker scored a goal in the 31st (Allison James) and another in the 38th (Olivia Lai) to give the Falcon a 3-0 lead at the break and Maxwell picked up the hat trick after she scored in 56th and the 57th minute. 

"We settled down and we started to really come together as a team," said Maxwell. "It was a team effort and the win feels really good."

According to Lemon, Maxwell did not begin the season as a starter but she has solidified her spot on one of the most difficult rotations to get into.

Patriot standout sophomore Laura Figueroa promises to help bring her team back for another playoff run next year. "It feels really great to make the playoffs after our tough season," said Figueroa. "We have a great team."

Figueroa was tied in second place in the state with Sahuarita Walden Grove's Isabella Solorza with 34 goals entering the night.

Catalina Foothills will host No. 13 Avondale Agua Fria on Saturday after the Owls upset No. 4 Scottsdale Cactus Shadows 5-4 in the second overtime period Tuesday night.

All quarterfinal matches will take place at 2 p.m.

Besides No. 1 Sahuarita Walden Grove and No. 4 Rio Rico, Southern Arizona teams did not fair well in the Division III playoffs Tuesday night. Nogales, Sahuarita, Tucson Pueblo, Tucson Palo Verde and Safford all fell in the first round.

Rio Rico took out No. 13 Scottsdale Christian 4-0 and Walden Grove defeated Oro Valley Pusch Ridge 6-0.

Rio Rico will host No. 5 Scottsdale Prep in the quarterfinal round Saturday and Walden Grove will host No. 8 Chandler Valley Christian.

Walden Grove sophomore Isabella Solorza added two more goals to her impressive scoring total to give her 36 on the year.