No. 6 Campo Verde shuts out No. 7 Desert Mountain, advances to 5A final
February 21, 2024 by Ben Stapley, AZPreps365
Campo Verde's defense has picked up at the right time, and the Coyotes have used it to reach the 5A state championwship. Wednesday night, Campo Verde manufactured another playoff shutout along with a stellar offenive performance from Katelyn Caballero to take down Desert Mountain 3-0 in a 5A semifinal showdown at Campo Verde.
Caballero helped the Coyotes to a pair of first half goals with near-perfect sideline kicks that put Campo Verde teammates in great position in front of the goal. She also added her own goal on a free kick in the second half.
Campo Verde is seeking its third state title in six years, as they will square off against No. 1 seed Notre Dame Prep Saturday afternoon at Mesa High. Notre Dame was the favorite heading into the postseason, while Campo Verde (14-7-1) was still trying to put its best soccer together.
Hard to see but Campo Verde’s Shannon Healy is able to knock in the 1st goal of the match 7 minutes in off the corner kick from Katelyn Caballero. Campo Verde leads Desert Mountain 1-0 in this 5A semifinal. @yote_soccer pic.twitter.com/hQtLW5ITfM
— Ben Stapley (@AZpreps365Ben) February 22, 2024
"What it comes down to is these girls believe in themselves and they believe in what we do," Campe Verde coach Andrew Guarneri said as his club celebrated around him. "These girls bring a lot of energy and they've really stepped up in the payoffs."The Coyotes have allowed one goal in three playoff games. Their qurterfinal contest against Casteel ended in a scoreless tie before Campo Verde won 5-3 on penalty kicks. Wednesday night's defense was stellar from start to finish, as Campo Verde limited Desert Mountain to five shots on goal.
Katelyn Caballero (17) sets up her Campo Verde teammates again, and this time Peyton Gibby is able to secure the goal with a header with 1:33 before halftime. The Coyotes lead Desert Mountain 2-0 at the break @yote_soccer pic.twitter.com/Y3q8NXCgTM
— Ben Stapley (@AZpreps365Ben) February 22, 2024
Shannon Healy scored Campo Verde's first goal. After Caballero's corner kick bounced around through a slew of players in front of the goal, Healy was able to use her body to deflect the ball into the net. 1:33 before halftime, Peyton Gibby scored in a similar fashion for Campo Verde, fighting for a clean shot after Caballero placed the ball in front of the net.
Just seven minutes into the second half, Caballero scored on a free kick for a 3-0 lead. The Coyotes were able to load up defensively the rest of the way.
Katelyn Caballero is having herself a game for Campo Verde. Here the junior drills the free kick 7 minutes into the 2nd half, giving the Coyotes a commanding 3-0 lead over Desert Mountain in this 5A semifinal contest. @yote_soccer pic.twitter.com/yIdLfmJ4r9
— Ben Stapley (@AZpreps365Ben) February 22, 2024
Desert Mountain finished the season 15-6-3.