Girls soccer team gives Desert Vista something to celebrate – azcentral.com
Richard Obert, azcentral sports 
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After going to penalty kicks in Division I state title game, Desert Vista wins girls soccer title.
After Phoenix Desert Vista High School made national news last month for the wrong reason, girls soccer coach Melvin Hypolite didn’t address the controversy with his team, instead choosing to focus on soccer.
The girls were driven more than ever, finishing the season Saturday night at Gilbert Campo Verde with the first state championship in 11 years, defeating Chandler Hamilton on penalty kicks after nobody scored in 80 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime periods in the Division I final.
In January, on senior picture day, a photo of six Desert Vista girls wearing shirts that spelled out a racial slur went viral.
“I told the kids, ‘This isn’t just about soccer; it’s bigger than you are,’ ” said Hypolite, who is Black. “For what this school went through, for these girls to stay tight, it’s tremendous.”
Hypolite switched out his goalkeeper late in the fourth overtime period, a 5-minute sudden death, with freshman Paige Sim.
FIND A GAME: Girls soccer scores
After Desert Vista’s Isabella Gavin found the net on the first PK, Sim leaned toward Luz Galindo’s scorching kick and it bounced off the sidebar.
Desert Vista made its next four goals with Isabel Deustch clinching the championship with her shot.
Teammates and students streamed onto the field to celebrate Desert Vista’s first girls soccer state championship since 2005. This was the third time in the past four seasons that Desert Vista reached the final.
“I was prepared, but I have to admit it was kind of nerve-racking,” said Deustch, a junior midfielder. “But what’s better than that?
“It’s indescribable. I’m speechless right now.”
Hypolite said he wanted Sim in there for PKs, and if he didn’t bring her in, she wouldn’t have had a chance to play.
“It’s planned and scripted for all situations in the game,” he said. “We’re ready for all surprises.”
Sim showed no nerves and was in the game mentally throughout.
“I put myself before the team, and I knew they would come through and make the PKs,” she said. “They finished every single PK. That’s what we practiced as a team.”
It became a test of wills as there were few chances throughout for either side.
Desert Vista’s best shot came 17 minutes into the match with a blast at the net that was saved by Galindo.
Hamilton never had any clean shots. Neither team mounted a scoring threat in the first two 10-minute OTs and the two 5-minute sudden-death OTs.
The only surprise for Hypolite came during a postgame interview when he was given a water bucket shower from his players.
“I didn’t see that coming,” he said. “But to share something positive after what the school has been through, this is huge. That’s the magnitude.”
Reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.
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