Girls soccer came back in their championship game on Saturday February 28, where they were down by two goals against Pinnacle High School, to become 6A State Champions. For their season overall they had 16 wins, six losses, and one tie. The girls played well the entire season with senior Saydie Herbert to lead them to victory when she scored the game-winning goal for the girls.

Herbert has played for the soccer program since her freshman year and has improved each year since. Every season, every win, every loss has worked its way to this championship. Herbert worked through it all, she explained, “My freshman year losing in the final, sophomore year losing in the quarter finals, and then last year losing in the semi finals. Then being able to win a championship, for me it’s insane, but for the program, the first one for girls soccer. It’s a really big achievement for us.” 

Before the game Herbert felt the pressure and the nervousness that her last game with this program brought, but she used those nerves to fuel how she played. Herbert mentioned that the nervousness that she felt was good because it meant that she was excited and it showed how much the game meant to her. 

In the middle of the game the team went down by two goals, Herbert feared that they might not come back from it, but she believed her teammates and herself to get back from it. Herbert stated, “Going down two to zero my heart sank. It is hard to come back from that, but I put my trust in my team and trust in myself that we can come back and win it.” For Herbert it was always one step and one goal at a time. 

Herbert ultimately was the one to score the goal to win the game. When Herbert went to kick the goal in, one of the girls on the other team had pushed into Herbert, so initially she was not sure if she had made it in or not. Herbert commented, “ I had no clue that I even scored until my team came rushing and I mean it was just adrenaline from there. I ran to the corner and celebrated with everyone else and the excitement was through the roof. It was great, it was one of those surreal moments.”

This accomplishment could not have been possible without the support of her dad. Herbert explained how her father had always been her biggest supporter throughout her life. He would constantly push her to be her best out of his love for her. 

She was also named AZ Central and The Arizona Republic’s player of the week. To become player of the week people vote on the athlete that they believe deserved it the most. Herbert remarked, “It is based off of a vote, so the fact that people were voting for me to be player of the week was crazy. My gratitude is through the roof for being able to play the sport.” 

This was Herbert’s last season before she moved on to play at the collegiate level with Michigan State University. Herbert could not be happier and prouder of how her senior season went before she leaves to play at the higher level.