Rose Lehner is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Pinnacle High School for AZPreps365.com.

Pinnacle was on its way to a perfect regular season when the Pioneers skidded off road.

Highland robbed Pinnacle of its undefeated record on Feb.18 after a 2-0 loss. Pinnacle fought its way to the end Thursday night against Xavier Prep, but both teams fell short and the game ended with a tie. Pinnacle has a 10-1-1 record and is ranked No.2.

The Pioneers have turned the setbacks into a driving force to finish the season strong.

“I think that having these little speed bumps in our season really was a reality check for us and I think we’re going to step up even more to prove ourselves in the coming week,” senior midfielder Brianna Ramey said.

Added senior midfielder Courteney Straub:“The last two games in the last two weeks have been humbling for our team since we started out strong, but the bad games make the good games even better."

Coach Jen Larsen is working hard to polish the final touches in practice for a comeback in this week’s games against Westwood and Cactus Shadows.

“For our last regular season games, we will gear practices towards our weaknesses, improve upon them and just continue to get better. We are in the home stretch, so staying positive and healthy is also a key factor,” Larsen said.

“Getting on top of the rankings early is huge and has put us in a good spot going into the playoffs. Of course, we would love to be undefeated right now, but being able to look back and learn is huge.

“The last two games did not end the way we wanted; we are not letting it affect the way we play. We just constantly look to what we can improve on and go from there. We are looking to get two wins this week and move into state playoffs with same momentum.” 

As the last season approaches for many of the senior players on the team, they are determined to make the best out of their final week together. 

“My goal for the rest of season with my team is to just shine together and have a great time,” Straub said.

For Pinnacle it’s not all about winning, it's about the memories with the team that matters most.

“We value the experience and our relationship as a team more than the scores of the games. We know that we’ll overcome, and just being united together is enough positivity to make you want to push through and fight every single game,” Ramey said.