Ironwood deserved a day off after playing its fifth soccer match in seven days.

But the players don’t like taking them, and coach Tim Beck knows it.

“Keep them wanting more,” Beck said. “Keep them wanting more.”

Beck, in his 27th season at Ironwood, by now can gauge when to put the brakes on.

Ironwood won’t practice on Wednesday, a reward after advancing to Saturday’s 5A state quarterfinals with a 5-0 home victory over Gilbert. Although Beck’s soccer team has only played 11 matches, it’s been training since November.

The pandemic has interrupted activity, but Ironwood finally got to breath freely Tuesday at home. Beck’s boys played without masks for the first time.

With a strong wind at its back, Ironwood scored two of its three first half goals off set pieces against a young Gilbert team.

“They (Ironwood) were just bigger, but we battled,” Gilbert’s 21-year coach Jeff Perry said.

A close match was expected after Ironwood rallied to defeat Gilbert 3-2 just seven days ago.

Last week, senior forward Adrian Sanchez set up Ironwood’s second goal with 10 minutes left and scored the game winner with 120 seconds remaining. Sanchez was at it again Tuesday, scoring twice to give him 19 goals in nine games this season.

The senior didn’t play with his high school team the past two seasons and wasn’t planning to take Ironwood’s pitch this season, but the pandemic forced his U.S. Soccer Development Academy in San Diego to shutdown.

“We come together and fight together,” said Sanchez about his Ironwood teammates. “We always fight to the end.”

Senior captain Charlie Wingfield, junior Pablo Zamora and sophomore L.J. Moeschi also scored for their 11-1 team against Gilbert.

This was the second shutout for the senior goalkeeper Jake Cunningham and his defense this season.

“The team continues to impress in terms of grinding out results,” Beck said.

Up next for No. 3 seed Ironwood is an 11 a.m. home Saturday quarterfinal match against sixth-seeded Campo Verde.

Adrian Sanchez