Xavier takes in the realizationi it captured the 6A soccer title. (AzPreps365 photo)

Xavier Prep soccer coach Barb Chura commented after the Gators semifinal conquest of Hamilton that a win in the final would be icing on the cake to where her team came from at the start this season.

Top-seed Xavier added the icing Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over #2 Perry to repeat as state champions in the 6A title game at Campo Verde High School.

Senior center back Nicole Hook's header in the 58th minute off a boundary free kick by Abby Hubbard was the difference. Hook missed a good chunk of the first half trying to control a bloody nose she sustained during a Perry corner kick.

Hook was at the far post on the free kick attempt and used her height to elevate and punch the ball out of the reach top shelf of Perry keeper Makayla Aman. 

Perry dominated possession and offense in the second half, but several shots on frame couldn't get past Xavier's Pepperdine-bound senior keeper Kinsey Ehmann. Ehmann wrapped up every shot on fram flawlessly.

The Gators still had a few top-notch returnees like leading scorer Kyla Ferry, keeper Kinsey Ehmann and defender Nicole Hook. But the majority of starters graduated and the team managed to meld into a solid contender.

The title was the 10th in school history for Xavier (15-3-2) and its soccer program. The Gators are 10-4 in championship games. Perry closed the season 22-3 and fell to 0-2 in title games. Perry has been open 10 years. Both its title-game losses have been by scores of 1-0. They bowed to Pinnacle by that margin in 2014. 

Perry managed to weather more than the average number of injuries to maintain title-contender status all season. Coach John Roberts started seven seniors, but was proud of his team's effort despite not getting the big trophy.