Sara Abbott is an Arizona State University student assigned to cover Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy College Prep, Arizona’s No.1-ranked boys soccer team, used an aggressive offense to post a 4-0 victory over Perry on Tuesday to celebrate the defending state champions' Senior Night. 

Senior forward and midfielder Francesco “Case” Montanile said the Broncos' ball control throughout the game played a role in the victory.

“We were able to ping the ball around and keep the opposing team running a lot," Montanile said, "because the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game both teams came out really hard and fired up. With us playing the ball around, we tired them out.”

Within the first 10 minutes of the fast-paced start, the energy on the field shifted and audible gasps were heard from both ends of the stands when Perry’s senior captain and defender, Wyatt Deutsch, went down with a head injury. 

“He is the anchor of our backline," Perry coach Jason Berg said. "He is the spine of our team, so he goes down and a lot of boys drop their heads.”

Deutsch was evaluated for a concussion on the sidelines and did not return to the game. 

Later in the half the Pumas suffered another loss when senior defender Kayden Burnes went down with a left ankle injury. Berg described Burnes as a “spark plug” and a source of energy for the team. 

The Broncos capitalized on the Pumas losing two key defensive players and scored three goals in the first half.

With 27:12 remaining in the first half, senior forward Mathew Hartman split the defense to junior forward Charlie Cobb, scoring the first goal of the game. Less than three minutes later, Montanile dished a corner in to Hartman, who headed in the goal. Montanile set up Cobb with the third goal, making the score 3-0 at halftime.

Berg made adjustments for the Pumas in the second half by changing the formation and personnel on the field but to no avail.

After a hiccup from Perry’s goalkeeper, Montanile scored the fourth goal of the game with 27:03 remaining in the game.

“I went in for a tackle and the ball kind of popped up," Montanile said. "I saw the goalie come, and I just chipped it over his head.”

That put Brophy ahead, 4-0.

“I give it to the guys," Brophy coach Paul Allen said. "There was a lot of excitement before the game, so they were able to knock the ball around and play the game the way we know how to play.”

Brophy (10-0-1) will ends it regular season on Friday at No. 3 Hamilton (9-0-2).