(GILBERT, Ariz.) Second-seeded Gilbert Christian punched its ticket to the 2025-26 AIA Girls Soccer 3A State Championship game, delivering a commanding 3-0 semifinal victory over No. 10 Safford on Tuesday evening in front of a packed house.

The Knights struck early and never looked back.

Sophomore Mackenzie Henderson lit up the scoreboard 22 minutes into play, giving the GCHS a 1-0 advantage. After the ball slipped past the Safford backline, Henderson tracked it down on the left side and fired a shot past the Bulldogs' diving keeper to ignite the home sideline.



The Knights doubled their lead just minutes later.

With 11:53 remaining in the first half, freshman Brooke Cochran launched a stunning strike from just across the midfield line. The perfectly weighted ball arced high, curled beautifully, and dropped into the bottom-left corner of the net beyond the keeper's reach. The jaw-dropping goal sent the Knight Nation crowd into a frenzy, and gave Gilbert Christian some breathing room at 2-0.



Cochran wasn't finished.

With seven minutes remaining in the second half, the freshman sensation caught Safford off-guard once again, booting another long-range lob over the Bulldogs' goalie to seal the 3-0 victory and cap a brilliant semifinal performance.

On the defensive end, freshman goalkeeper Rachel Coffelt and the Knights' backline were rock solid, combining for the shutout. Coffelt controlled the box with confidence, coming up with several saves in the second period, including a diving stop on a well-aimed ball to preserve the clean sheet. Gilbert Christian has not allowed a goal during its playoff run.

With the win, the Knights advance to the 3A State Championship game, where they will face top-ranked Northwest Christian.

GCHS beat NWC 2-1 in overtime on January 20th, handing the Crusaders their only loss of the season.

With the victory, Gilbert Christian moves to 13-1 overall.


(Seniors Jersi Wilson and Amber Peterson pictured following the final home game of their respective illustrious GCHS soccer careers)

Kickoff for the title match is scheduled for Saturday, February 21st at 4:00pm. The contest will be played at Mesa High School. All fans will need a ticket in order to attend the showdown (TICKETS).