Tucson survived to the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A state tournament by winning on penalty kicks against visiting Pinnacle on Tuesday.
The fourth-seeded Badgers (10-1-1) will host No. 12 Chandler Basha (8-5-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Luis Zazueta, Daniel Rendon and Jules Komya made the penalty kicks for Tucson against Pinnacle.
“We started strong, (and) we we’re much better during the first 15 minutes when we scored,” Tucson coach Bel Haouala said. “We had three chances to put the game away. Credit to Pinnacle. They adjusted and slowly took over the game. They had multiple chances in the second half.
“Luckily our goalkeeper Andraux Emiliano had a wonderful game and kept us in the match. We were lucky to get the win. We have a lot to improve on before next game.”
5A: No. 10 Sunnyside 2, No. 7 Tempe McClintock 0
Sunnyside scored twice beyond the 73rd minute to pull out the match.
Jhonny Verdugo had the first assist on a goal by Arian Arciniega and Verdugo scored the second goal off an assist from Kiki Escalante.
Sunnyside coach Casey O’Brien mentioned his team’s “most critical player” was centerback Elian Robles.
“He’s the reason why we were able to keep a clean sheet and have an opportunity to win at the end,” O’Brien state. “He’s just such a solid defender and he kept everyone engaged until the last whistle.
“Our team showed a lot of resolve, staying aggressive and composed all the way until the first goal. I think with that attitude we should have an opportunity to beat anyone we play. The guys proved that they’re willing to put their hearts on the field. Proud of them and the way that they performed.”
Sunnyside (12-3) advances to play at No. 2 seed Glendale Independence (12-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in a quarterfinal game.
4A: No. 3 Walden Grove 4, No. 14 Williams 1
No. 3 seed Walden Grove (8-2) moved on in the 4A state tournament and will host No. 6 Tempe (9-2) in a quarterfinal match on Saturday at 2 p.m.
3A-6A BOYS SOCCER FIRST ROUND
(3A) No. 11 Basis Phoenix 1, No. 6 Pusch Ridge 0
(4A) No. 1 Salpointe 5, No. 16 Thunderbird 0
(4A) No. 3 Walden Grove 4, No. 14 Williams 1
(4A) No. 9 Coronado 1, No. 8 Cholla 0 (OT)
(4A) No. 5 Notre Dame 4, No. 12 Canyon del Oro 2
(5A) No. 9 Glendale 3, No. 8 Nogales 3 (3-2)
(5A) No. 10 Sunnyside 2, No. 7 McClintock 0.
(6A) No. 4 Tucson 1, No. 13 Pinnacle 0 (3-0).
(6A) No. 10 Mesa 3, No. 7 Rincon/UHS 1
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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