Liam Archer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Master's student assigned to cover Phoenix Country Day School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – The No. 11 Phoenix Country Day Eagles girls soccer team earned a spot in the 3A state tournament Thursday afternoon, blanking the No. 22 Trivium Prep Crimson Knights 3-0 behind two goals from midfielder Chloe Demark.

Demark’s first goal came off a one-time finish from a cross from the near-side corner into the box from senior captain Emme Kate Hackett. The Eagles hardly had time to break up the late first-half celebration, as only a minute later Elle Mullard finished off a run of her own for Phoenix Country Day’s second goal, and her 26th of the season.

“I think what we did well was when we had the opportunity to," Mullard said, "we connected on passes and made our way up the field and finished." 

It took awhile for the offense to get going, however, as the Eagles were unable to generate clean looks on goal in the opening thirty minutes. Despite few shots on net, Phoenix Country Day (7-3-1) was able to keep possession away from Trivium Prep (5-5), thanks to efforts by Mullard and midfielder Sammie McKee.

“The last 10 minutes of the first half is when we really started to gel a little better as a team,” Phoenix Country Day coach Andy McKean said. “We connected on more passes, scored a couple goals and got some momentum.”

The Eagles took a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Out of the break Demark picked up right where she left off, scoring her second goal of the afternoon only 41 seconds into the second half. Mullard assisted on the play with a perfectly placed ball into the penalty box.

“This was Chloe’s best game this year,” McKean said. “She stepped up huge. She put herself in a position to be successful and that’s what you want as a coach.”

Demark entered the day with six goals on the season, having only one other game with multiple goals. Regarding her performance, Demark was bashful, emphasizing that the team's goal was to win no matter what.

“I think as a team we were aggressive,” Demark said. “But we just really, really wanted to win.”

Eagle midfielder Anna Sabol, who did not start the game due to injury, was cleared to play the final 10 minutes of the first half. As soon as the sophomore subbed in, the Eagles’ offense began to look crisp. McKean said that Sabol was instrumental in bringing a sense of comfort to the girls on the field.

“You could tell it gave us a little bit of energy,” McKean said. “Her presence helped create two really good scoring opportunities for us.”

Phoenix Country Day, which had lost four of its previous six matches, moves on from Thursday’s play-in match to the state tournament, which they have never won. That being said, the team has one common goal: win the whole thing.

“We’re extremely motivated,” Mullard and Demark said simultaneously.

As they enter the postseason, McKean stressed to his team the importance of focusing on the next game in front of them.

“At this point, we’re coming in as an 11-seed, so we can’t look ahead,” McKean said. “When we’re on our game, we play really well as a unit, and any team that plays as a unit, at this level, is dangerous.”

According to McKean, of the 15 rostered players on the team, nine of them have recorded multiple goals this season. As a team, the Eagles average just shy of four goals per game this season.

Phoenix Country Day (7-3-1) will next play on Wednesday and will visit American Leadership Academy—Gilbert North (8-2-2). The two schools have not met this season.