After securing a victory on their Senior night and last home game of the season against the Bourgade Catholic Golden Eagles, the Trojans earned the opportunity to play in the first round of the state tournament on their home field. The Trojans were slightly favored as they were ranked #7 in 3A while their opponents – the Odyssey Institute Minotaurs – stood at #10. However, the Trojans did lose 2-4 in a prior match against the Minotaurs during the regular season, so winning this match and advancing would be no easy feat.  Nevertheless, the Trojans pursued, and thanks to a last-minute goal from Sophomore Elijah Mims, the Trojans overtook the Minotaurs in a 1-0 victory and a historic moment for the program as the Trojans Boys Soccer team hadn't made it past round 1 of the state tournament since 2011. 

The Trojans' next opponent for the quarterfinals was Pusch Ridge who was ranked #15 but just upset the #2 seed, Northwest Christian, in a 3-2 victory. Facing such an unpredictable opponent would test the Trojans as they had also never faced the Pusch Ridge Lions in the regular season. Most of the game was pretty close, until the Trojans fell behind momentarily until a goal from freshman Gabriel Stipp tied the score at 2-2 and sent the game into overtime. After a long grueling battle with the Lions, senior Sam Gao pulled out a game-winning goal and sent the Trojans through to the semifinals. This was another landmark in program history as the Trojans Boys Soccer team as a program hadn't made it past the quarterfinals since 2009, which was also the last time the Trojans won the state title. Senior Sam Gao who scored the final goal commented, "after being down 0-2 in the first half it seemed impossible, but it was truly a blessing that we won in the end." 

In the semifinals the Trojans faced off against Yuma Catholic who was ranked #3 in the division. Unfortunately, despite goals from both senior Jose Amancio-Ramos and sophomore Elijah Mims, the Trojans fell to Yuma in a tough battle that ended 2-3. Although their state tournament run ended here, the Trojan Boys Soccer team still had such a momentous and historic season for the program, and we are so excited to see how that will continue into next year's team. 

Senior captain Will Groen recapped this season's finish commenting "it was incredible to be able to make a run at state senior year, the bond between teammates was really tight this season which was what brought us to the semifinals. I'm so proud of all of them and the way we fought even though we ended up losing to Yuma. We are all thankful for the incredible coaches, especially Kyle, and to God for giving us the opportunity to compete together." 

Go Trojans!