Two area teams will open postseason play Tuesday when the 3A Girls Soccer State Championship begins, with Thatcher hosting River Valley and Safford traveling to Yuma Catholic.
Thatcher enters the tournament with an 11-4-2 record and will host River Valley at 3:30 pm. The Eagles have been one of the higher-scoring teams in the 3A field, totaling 99 goals while allowing 29. Thatcher has nearly 200 shots this season and has relied on multiple scoring options.
Kalli Bingham leads Thatcher with 20 goals, while Tyla Bryce has contributed 13 goals and 15 assists. River Valley comes in at 10-5 and is led offensively by Emily Barrett, who has 19 goals. The Dust Devils have scored 60 goals this season but have allowed 42.
Safford will open its playoff run on the road at Yuma Catholic, with kickoff scheduled for 4 pm. The Bulldogs are 10-4-1 on the season and have scored 80 goals, averaging more than five goals per match.
Trynity Dominguez leads Safford with 25 goals, while Luz Mendoza has added 25 assists. Yuma Catholic enters at 11-6, having scored 87 goals and allowed 16, and is led by Gillian Guiverra, who has 22 goals and 17 assists.
The Thatcher/River Valley winner will play the winner of Northwest Christian/San Tan Foothills and the Safford/Yuma Catholic winner will play the winner of the Page/Benjamin Franklin matchup. Quarterfinal matches are scheduled for February 14th at the site of the higher seed.
