2/9/2010 11:10:00 PM Prep Soccer: No. 3 Prescott High girls one win away from state final
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier Leanna King, right, and the rest of the third-seeded Prescott High girls soccer team will play No. 2 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in a Class 4A, Division I state tourney semifinal at Tucson High on Thursday.
Last week the Prescott High girls soccer team proved it could play someone else's game, mixing it up with Tucson Sabino to earn a hard-fought, 1-0 victory.
This week, the third-seeded Badgers can get back to what they know and love: finesse soccer.
Prescott continues its run towards the program's first state championship Thursday when they take on No. 2 Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in a Class 4A, Division I state tournament semifinal at 7 p.m. at Tucson High School.
"We know they're going to let us play our game," PHS coach Julie Bais said. "Sabino, it was just a physical style of game. Cactus Shadows, it's almost a sigh of relief to know that we're playing against them when you're familiar with them and can play your system, but at the same time, you can't go in their thinking it's going to be a walk-away."
That feeling is even more of a caution because the Badgers already beat the Falcons once this season, a 1-0 shootout win during the Scottsdale Horizon Tournament early in the year.
Because of that, it's up to the team to keep grounded and avoid overconfidence.
"It's going to be hard to not go in (over)confident because we already beat them," senior Caitlin Peterson said. "But, I think if we get prepared and not come in too cocky and know we have to play our passing game, then hopefully we can get some goals on them."
Along with the extra boost of confidence that playing and beating a team once in a year brings comes a sense of comfort in knowing what that team likes to do and what its strengths and weaknesses are.
"I think it helps a lot, because the last game we played (against Sabino) we had no idea about their skills or anything," senior Leah Rogalcheck said. "This next game, we know what their strengths and weaknesses are."
Those weaknesses include what Rogalcheck called a slower than average defense, which is something the Badgers should be able to capitalize on offensively.
However, she also said they pose a risk with speed at striker and in the midfield.
Those strengths put pressure on the Badger defense.
"(Defense is) always a big key for us," Rogalcheck said. "It's definitely going to be up to (senior defender) Michelle Andre and (goalkeeper) Bri (Williams) in the net to really bring it."
Andre, Rogalcheck and Peterson, the team's three senior tri-captains, have all been a part of two of the program's three trips to the state semifinals, including this year. They all hold that honor in the highest regard.
"Really it means a lot," Andre said. "It's hard because I've been on this team four years and I don't want it to end."
The team getting ready to take the field for the Badgers on Thursday, despite the same names and same numbers, are not the same girls, Bais said.
Instead, her team is more grown up, more grounded and ready to deal with the rigors and pressure of the state stage.
"They've grown a lot," she said. "They've got more confidence in themselves. They know they're not untouchable, but they also know that if we play our best soccer, then we can come out on top."
