Following wins over Mingus in the semi-finals and a 2-0 victory over Seton Catholic in the final game of the season, the Fountain Hills High School girls soccer team has been crowned the 2014 Division III state champs.

“The girls played a fantastic championship game,” said head coach Alison Mabery.

“They left everything out on the field and gave 150 percent.”

The local ladies’ road to the crown continued last Wednesday, Feb. 12, with a nail-bitingly close match-up against Mingus in the semi-final round of play.

That game remained tied at zero through regulation time, but the Falcons finally managed to break through in overtime when Courtney Wise connected with an assist to Leah Carillo, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to give the Falcons the 1-0 victory and move them forward into the championship round of state play.

On Friday, Feb. 14, the Falcons hit the road to Campo Verde High School to take on the team from Seton Catholic. The local ladies managed to find a net with less than a minute left in the first half on an assist from Erika Yost to Leah Carillo, who sent it home to go up 1-0.

The Falcons extended their lead just two minutes into the second half, adding in a bit of breathing room in the process, on a second goal from Yost, moving the team ahead 2-0; where it would remain until the final whistle.

What makes this win especially sweet for the local squad is that it is the first state championship in school history for the Lady Falcons, coming on the heels of an unfortunate injury to senior captain Jess Stricker and teammates Meagan Coveney and Courtney Dunham.

This state win caps off an impressive 20-3-1 season for the Lady Falcons, a run that ended with 11 straight victories heading out of the regular season and through the state championship.

While the Falcons’ strikers can certainly be credited for their offensive push, the team’s defensive efforts were also especially effective in the final series of matches, holding their opponents to just three total goals throughout nearly a dozen matches and completely stifling their state opponents in the quarter, semi and final rounds.

Speaking specifically to the championship game, coach Mabery said goalie Kahri Smith played an especially stellar game.

“She played aggressive in the box, snatching the ball on all corner kick opportunities that Seton had,” she added.

“Everyone stepped it up and it showed.”

Mabery said she is proud of the intensity, confidence and skill her team showed last Friday, all of which combined to make a deserving squad of young athletes the state champs.

“They worked so well as a team, stepping in when players were injured and getting the job done,” she said.

“They are a great group of girls who really came together as a team to accomplish this goal.”