Faith Lutheran, Coronado girls soccer carry rivalry into state semis

It’s not a surprise to see the Coronado and Faith Lutheran girls soccer teams playing in the state tournament. What is surprising is that for the first time since 2018, the Cougars and Crusaders will not play one another for a state championship.

The two girls soccer powerhouses have faced off in the last four state title matches. This year they will play a round earlier.

Faith Lutheran, the Southern League’s No. 1 seed, plays No. 5 Coronado at 10 a.m. Friday at Coronado in a Class 5A state semifinal. No. 2 Bishop Gorman plays No. 3 Liberty in the other semifinal at 9 a.m. Friday at Cimarron-Memorial. The state title match is 10 a.m. Saturday at Coronado.

Coronado (13-6-2) is the defending state champion and also won the title in 2021. Faith Lutheran (15-1-5) finished on top in 2019 and 2022.

All four of their meetings for the state title were decided by one goal. Both of their regular-season matchups this year were as well. The Crusaders won 3-2 on Sept. 30 and 1-0 on Oct. 17.

“We expect it’s going to be a tough game,” Faith Lutheran coach Carl Cort said. “I’m sure (Coronado is) pretty disappointed after the two games because both games could have went either way. Both teams created a lot of chances and both teams have very good players.”

‘Wanting it more’

Cort is in his first season at Faith Lutheran. It’s also his first season coaching a high school team and a girls team. When he got the job over the summer, he said Coronado was one of the first opponents he heard about given the recent history between the two schools.

Cort said his approach to a rivalry game is to try and make it more than any other matchup.

“The girls are going into the game confident because I do believe psychologically those two wins that we had against them does help,” Cort said. “But we’re not too overly confident and going with the same attitude as if we had lost those two games.”

While Cort is new to the rivalry, several of his players have faced off against Coronado with a state championship at stake.

Senior defender Riley Renteria is a four-year varsity player and has played in the last three title games. Renteria said she and her teammates want redemption after losing last year’s championship match.

“It’s motivated us a lot because I’ve been on the team since my freshman year and we go to the finals with Coronado and it’s back and forth,” Renteria said. “We’re amped up because last year didn’t go so well in the last game. A lot of us know the girls on the team. It’s just a matter of wanting it more and hopefully we get that result on Friday.”

The other 5A semifinal should be closely contested as well.

Gorman (18-4-1) lost to Liberty 3-1 on Aug. 28. The two teams then played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 1. The Patriots (9-1-7) have lost just once this season, a 4-2 setback against Coronado on Sept. 19.

Centennial eyes perfection

History could be made in the 4A state tournament at Cimarron-Memorial. Southern Region champion Centennial (21-0) is trying to be the ninth team in state history to finish a season undefeated. The Bulldogs are outscoring opponents 150-3.

No. 1-seeded Centennial faces McQueen, the North’s No. 2 seed, in a state semifinal at 11 a.m. Friday. Doral Academy, the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion Galena at 1 p.m. Friday. The state title match is 10 a.m. Saturday.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.