It has been rare this season when anyone scores on the Hamilton girls soccer team. Shutouts in 21 of 24 games and four goals allowed overall  is mighty impressive.

The Huskies gave up their first goal since December on Wednesday night to 5A-I semifinal foe Mesquite midway through the second half  and were faced with the question: Could they respond?

Hamilton took a few seconds longer than a minute to regain the lead and the game-winning goal, edging Mesquite 2-1 at Campo Verde High School.

Hamilton will play in its first girls soccer final ever on Saturday when it faces two-time defending state champ Xavier for the 5A-I crown. Game time Saturday is 3:30 p.m. at Campo Verde.

"There is no quit in these girls," Hamilton coach Jason Thompson said. "They play hard and want to win."

Hamilton (24-0-1) had a typical game going for it in the first half. The Huskies got an early goal -- 11th minute - when Rylie Johnson corraled Rachel Shedd's free kick from midfield about 10 yards out and fired it past Mesquite keeper Dani Schulz.

Mesquite, which entered the tournament as the No. 11 seed, stayed patient. Although not having many chances in the first half or early in the second, senior forward Aya Shoura made the Huskies sit up and take notice when she fired from 20 yards out to tie the match in the 56th minute.

Mesquite (13-7-1) was fired up and momentum was on its side.

Johnson and Hamilton teammate Hannah Kijowski had other ideas. Johnson dribbled along the right sideline and fired a cross to Kijowski about 8 yards out. Kijowski was so open she had time to gather the cross and carefully aim and shoot past a helpless Schulz in the 57th minute.

"It's a dangerous time," Mesquite coach Scott Smith said of Hamilton's game-winner. "That emotion of scoring. Five minutes after a goal is so dangerous. You get so high after that. They slipped on in on us. ... But that's a testament to how they play. They came right back."

Still, it was quite a run for Mesquite, which made the playoffs for the second straight season. The Wildcats reached the quarterfinals last year.  This year they knocked off No. 6 Corona del Sol, runner-up to Xavier last season in the first round and played a man down for 50 minutes against No. 3 Highland in the quarterfinals and outlasted the Hawks in a  shootout.

"Most people didn't believe in us last year," Smith said. "We came back again this year and went farther. Battled the entire time. I'm really proud of them."