For the first time since 2018, the Class 5A girls soccer state champion will not be Faith Lutheran or Coronado. Top-seeded Bishop Gorman (20-2-1) and No. 3 Arbor View (18-2-3) will play for the title at 10 a.m. Saturday at Faith Lutheran.
Faith Lutheran had won four championships and appeared in every title game since 2019, while Coronado claimed two titles with five title-game appearances in that span. Bishop Gorman's back-to-back 4A titles in 2017 and 2018 were the last top-classification championships won by a different program. Before that, Arbor View won five consecutive 4A titles from 2012 to 2016.
Gorman coach Doug Borgel said his players are motivated by the program's drought. "(There's) a lot of pride on these kids," Borgel said after a 5-3 penalty shootout win over Centennial in the semifinals. "They know it's been a long time... To get back there this year and to be one of the better teams and know we have a chance is a good motivator."
Arbor View coach Erica Peeples, a former three-time all-region player for the Aggies, seeks the program's first title in a decade. "It feels amazing," Peeples said after a 3-0 semifinal shutout of Faith Lutheran. "This group of seniors, they've been working hard since their freshman year and they knew what they wanted. They built the foundation for this to happen, so they're ready."
The teams split their regular-season meetings. Gorman won 2-0 on Sept. 28, which was Arbor View's last loss; the Aggies are 8-0-2 since. Arbor View then routed Gorman 5-1 on Oct. 21. Both defenses are anchored by elite goalkeepers: Gorman's Lyvea Caceres and Arbor View's Emily Marks have each recorded 11 shutouts this season.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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