Bulldogs head to state as No. 2 seed

The state playoff soccer bracket was released Saturday afternoon and the Douglas Bulldogs have landed the No. 2 seed in the upcoming state tournament.

Douglas, 11-0-1, will host 15th seeded Amphi tonight at 6 p.m. at Douglas High School in a first round game.

That winner will play either seventh seed Palo Verde or 10th seed Phoenix Christian at the home of the higher seed Saturday afternoon. The bracket reads that game is slated for 2 p.m. but could be changed.

The state semifinals will be Wednesday, Feb. 6 in Phoenix. The state finals are Friday, Feb. 8 at Campo Verde High School.

Fans attending the state games need to be aware of the $8 admission price for adults; $6 for students with an ID, children under five get in free with an ID.

Sixteen teams are in the tournament. Scottsdale Coronado is the No. 1 seed overall.

The Bulldogs closed out the regular season last week beating Santa Rita twice by scores of 9-1 and 9-2.

On Tuesday, Jan. 22 it was supposed to be Mom and Dad’s night for the DHS seniors who were scheduled to be honored at halftime of their game with Santa Rita.

The game was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and as of 5:45 there was still no Santa Rita and local fans were wondering where were the Eagles?

Five minutes later the bus showed up and once the players got loose play began, 20 minutes later than scheduled.

Douglas took a 2-0 half-time lead on goals by Mario Gastelum and Jacob Ortega. After honoring the graduating seniors and their parents in a brief half-time ceremony, the team went on a tear scoring seven second half goals to bury the Eagles.

Hugo Grijalva scored twice. Javier Buelna, Kirt Cormier, Fabian Lopez, Alexis Medina, and Antonio Orduna each had one goal. Hiram Iniguez had two assists with Douglas out shooting Santa Rita 34-7. Goalie Estevan Mora had two saves.

In their final game of the regular season which was two days later in Tucson, the Bulldogs put Santa Rita away early scoring seven first half goals and then coasting from there.

Ortega, a freshman, scored three goals and Grijalva, Chris Cruz, Gastelum, Eddie Othon, Zeke Miller and Jesus Loreto each scored once. Kirt Cormier had four assists in the match and Mora had three saves at goalie.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season undefeated with a 11-0-1 record, finished first in their section and No. 2 in the state rankings for Division III.

Bulldog soccer coach Ken Cormier commented about how pleased he was with the results so far this season, but how important it was for his team not to dwell on the past, but to focus on the challenge that lies ahead.

“We have reached only half our goal at this time,” he said. “There will be plenty of time later to reflect on these accomplishments, our focus now has to be on preparing for our state tournament matches."