Walden Grove beat Sahuarita 4-0 Wednesday night on the road in an important 4A Conference match featuring the top two ranked teams in the conference. Sahuarita moved to 7-1 in power-ranking matches after the Mustangs reached the top spot for the first time in program history. Walden Grove remains undefeated at 6-0 with an excellent chance to take over the top position in the conference when the new set of rankings are released Thursday afternoon.

“I think it always just takes putting one foot in front of the other, just winning the games that are in front of you,” Sahuarita head coach Brian Wright explained on what it took to climb to the top of the 4A Conference for the first time.

“I think it's just taking on each opponent individually and stringing together a few wins,” Wright added. “We couldn’t cover tonight so we regroup and then we really need to get back to where our defense is playing with a lot of confidence. We have to rebuild our defense and make them feel more comfortable in situations.”

The Red Wolves ended the 2014-2015 season ranked No. 1 in the old Division III configuration, the same year the program went undefeated in ranking matches to win the only state championship in program history. If the match holds out after defeating Sahuarita, the Red Wolves could enter the playoffs ranked No. 1 once again with the team controlling their own destiny.

Freshman midfielder Vivien Villarreal picked up a hat trick, the first in her high school career, after scoring on a breakaway in the 11th minute, on a cross from Milana Eyrich in the 19th and on another solo shot in the 67th. Jessica Garcia scored one minute later for the 4-0 final.

The four goals gives Villarreal 16 on the year with six regular season matches left beginning with a trip to No. 12 Canyon del Oro (5-2) Friday night. The Red Wolves dominated field position for most of the match, negating the scoring prowess of senior forwards Samantha Wright and Rylee Arrington. Wright currently has 21 goals this season and 110 in her career and Arrington has 20 goals and 60 in her career. Walden Grove finished with 16 shots on the night compared to seven for Sahuarita which further hightlights the possession of the ball.

“It took a lot of work in the offseason after we lost 11 seniors last year, ”Walden Grove head coach Troy Bosley explained. “We picked up a good group of freshmen and it's like we reloaded I was a little worried at the end of the season, but everyone worked so hard.”

The Mustangs are still in an excellent position for the playoffs with only four matches left, with a bit of a break before the team takes on No. 44 Douglas (1-7) next Tuesday night at home. The Mustangs took second place in the 3A Conference in 2020 after the team caught fire with a No. 8 seeding.

Both squads are on track to avoid the Play-In Tournament scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9. The Play-In Tournament features teams ranked 9-24 in the 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A Conferences with the eight winners advancing to the corresponding conference playoffs against the top eight ranked teams. The first round for the 4A playoffs is set for Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Through it all, the Red Wolves never let up on offense Wednesday night, even when the outcome at Sahuarita was evident.

“Our saying is to put them under pressure take advantage of them. That's what we kind of try to teach as much as possible,” Bosley added. “I do think we went a little bit too much trying to go over the top. I like to control it at the middle and then try to find those balls on the ground.”

Bosley had the Red Wolves in the 4A semifinals last year where the team fell to eventual state champion Salpointe in PK’s. This year, the team has wins against powers Tucson, Ironwood Ridge, Cienega, Sahuaro, Salpointe and Sahuarita. The pressure offense appears to be working.