Arbor View wins PK shootout, to play Palo Verde in 5A boys soccer final — PHOTOS

Arbor View boys soccer senior goalie Aaden Flores had two penalty shootout wins during the Class 5A Southern Region tournament, which helped the Aggies get the No. 1 seed in the state tournament.

So why not one more shootout effort to help Arbor View reach its first state title game?

Flores stood tall in net, and Arbor View got a gutsy performance from forward Desmond Guevara as the Aggies defeated Sparks, the North’s No. 2 seed, 3-2 on penalty kicks after the game was tied 2-2 following overtime in a 5A state semifinal Friday night at Faith Lutheran.

Arbor View will play Palo Verde (17-5-3) at noon Saturday for the 5A state title at Faith Lutheran. Palo Verde, the South’s No. 2 seed, got second-half goals from O’Brian Vera and Mateo DeCastroverde and claimed a 2-0 win over Northern champion Hug (15-3-2) in the other state semifinal late Friday.

“It’s surreal,” said Flores, with tears in his eyes. “There’s no other way to explain it. These boys, I’ve been with them forever. I love them.”

Arbor View (15-8-3) was minutes away from a regulation victory, holding a 1-0 lead, but Yosgar Cruz kept Sparks’ (17-2-2) season alive. First, with under five minutes remaining in regulation, Cruz got a long pass and headed it over Flores, who ran out and was unable to get the ball.

Less than two minutes later, Flores’ tackle in the box resulted in a yellow card and Cruz was awarded a penalty kick. Cruz converted and gave Sparks a 2-1 lead as stoppage time began.

But Arbor View got break of its own on a Sparks handball in the box, which give the Aggies a penalty kick. Guevara, who scored in the first half, took the kick and it got blocked, but he charged the ball and headed in his own rebound to tie the game 2-2 and send it to overtime.

“He’s our star player for a reason,” Flores said of Guevara, who was wearing a sling in his right arm after the game. “He saved our team when we needed him. I made mistakes and he covered up for them. I love him.”

After two scoreless overtime periods, Arbor View and Sparks lined up for penalty kicks. Flores made a save on Sparks’ second and fourth kick. Beckham Klein made his kick in the fifth round for the Aggies and the ensuing Sparks kick hit the top of the crossbar as Arbor View exploded onto the field in celebration.

“It feels great,” said Arbor View coach Robert Starbird, whose team defeated Palo Verde in penalty kicks and won the region title last week. “I’m just so proud of these boys and the way they fight.

“My goalkeeper is amazing. He’s killing it, keeping us in games and winning penalty kick (shootouts) for is. It’s unbelievable.”

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.