Matthew Legere is a Master’s Student at ASU Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Hamilton High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX — Hamilton closed out its regular season on Monday night by knocking off three-time defending state champion Brophy, 3-2, in a winner-take-all classic for the 6A Premier Region title. Brophy began the night as the No. 7 ranked team in the 6A Conference with Hamilton coming in just a few spots behind at No. 10. 

“This is just the beginning,” Hamilton senior striker Vincent Acosta said. “We have a lot more to prove. Playoffs are coming soon and we're ready for what we hope is going to become a good run at the 6A State Championship.”

Monday night's victory marked Hamilton's first win over Brophy since a 2-1 overtime game against the Broncos in the 2012 Division I Championship, ending a more than 10-year winless streak against the 6A powerhouse.  

The Huskies are once again led by head coach Lance Thompson, who returned to the team after stepping down from his coaching duties in 2020 in order to become associate athletic director at the College of Southern Nevada, where he now resides.

“I've been going home every weekend to be with family and then coming straight back to work with these guys during the week,'' Thompson said. “I've had a lot of long drives and plenty of time to think and to prepare for nights like this. This place has a special legacy, a special culture, and it's hard to to be away knowing that you could help to contribute towards that.”

Thompson's admirable devotion to the team is something that does not go unnoticed by his players, and is a large reason for the Huskies recent success.

In the two seasons leading up to his departure, Thompson led the Hamilton boys soccer team to a combined 19-2-3 record, including a 6A state final appearance in 2019. In his one-year absence, the team finished with a 3-8 record, going winless in 6A Premier Region play.

In his return Thompson had the Huskies entering the final game of the regular season on Monday night needing either a win or a tie to clinch their first 6A Premier Region title in program history — a great spot to be in for a team featuring two of the conference's most prolific scorers, Vincent Acosta and Luke Schaefer. 

Acosta, looking to avenge a 2019 state final loss against Brophy, wasted no time picking up right where he has left off all season long. He quickly netted the first two goals of the game, giving the Huskies a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into the half. 

“It's a great feeling to be able to find the back of the net,” Acosta said. “But it wouldn't be possible without my teammates setting me up and working hard for me all season long. These goals tonight were team goals – both of them.”

With his two goals on Monday night, Acosta now moves up to second place atop the 6A leaderboard with 22 goals, six assists, and 50 total points. 

Hamilton's Vincent Acosta chats with the referee just moments before kick-off. (Matthew Legere photo/AZPreps365)

The aforementioned three-time defending state champions are no strangers to high-pressure situations, though, and they certainly would not go down without a fight. The Broncos showed great resilience in the second half by tying the game at 2-2 with goals in the 56th and 63rd minutes, despite what appeared to be a potentially missed offsides on the equalizer.

“They showed a ton of character after being down 2-0 late in the game like that,” Thompson said. “They're an explosive team and we knew that they had the ability to do that. They definitely had a bit of the momentum there as it was getting later in the match.”

However, the Huskies would not cower.

In the 80th minute, Hamilton senior striker Luke Schaefer sent the Husky faithful into a frenzy when he found senior midfielder Gilberto Rivero open for his third goal of the season, securing the win and a 6A Premier Region title. 

“Our last couple of matches were against two highly competitive, playoff-caliber teams in Perry and Brophy,” Thompson said. “Tactically, we just wanted to be the best versions of ourselves. Stick to our blueprint and execute our plan to the highest level possible.”

Hamilton (9-2-1, 4-0) and Brophy (8-3-1, 2-1-1) now await seeding for the 2021-'22 state tournament. The conference play-in tournament will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The first round of state tournament action will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday.