Arbor View girls soccer team ranked 14th in nation

A handful of valley soccer teams are making national waves.

The Arbor View girls are leading that charge. The Aggies are 6-0 this season and ranked 14th in this week’s USA Today Super 25 poll.

The Aggies have outscored opponents 28-1 and have been limited to fewer than three goals once.

“It’s a great motivator for the girls to keep playing hard for the rest of the season,” Arbor View coach Erica Peeples said of being ranked nationally.

Arbor View has a long tradition of success in girls soccer, with five straight state championships from 2012 to 2016. This year’s squad is young, Peeples said, but it’s an “energetic group that has come together.”

Faith Lutheran (6-0) also received recognition as the No. 9 team in Region VI. The Crusaders, who have scored 30 goals and allowed one, opened eyes by ending Bishop Gorman’s 49-match unbeaten streak in a 2-0 decision last week and cruised in their only match since, Western 8-0 over Western.

Arbor View will travel to Faith Lutheran for a Northwest League game Oct. 7.

On the boys side, Bishop Gorman (No. 4), Las Vegas (6), Coronado (11) and Eldorado (13) are ranked in Region VIII. Gorman and Las Vegas also are receiving votes in the national poll.

Girls volleyball

Palo Verde got off to a late start in the girls volleyball season but is making up for lost time.

The Panthers defeated Foothill last week, then went to a tournament in Chatworth, California, last weekend and finished 9-0 to win the championship before returning home for a 3-1 victory over Coronado on Tuesday.

Palo Verde is 11-0 and has lost only one of 25 sets.

“We always try to get that match in there in nonleague play,” Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke said of Coronado. “Now we have basically like a football bye where we don’t play again until the 17th. We’ve had a good start. You never know how it’s going to go when you work in new people with the others and have some coming back from injury.”

Bishop Gorman (8-0) is the valley’s only other undefeated team. The defending state champions have been off since winning the Las Vegas Invitational and will return to action Sept. 7 at home against Moanalua (Hawaii).

Football

Bishop Gorman senior linebacker Dahlin Mesake was strapped to a stretcher and taken off the field in an ambulance Friday night during the Gaels’ 31-19 loss to St. Louis in Honolulu.

Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez said Wednesday that Mesake suffered a stinger and concussion and is “fine.”

Mesake was accidentally hit by a teammate on a running play in a game featuring teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation. He was down for several minutes but had movement in his extremities and gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he left the field.

The Gaels, who dropped from No. 13 to 22 in the USA Today Super 25, meet Servite (California) on Saturday at Gorman.

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Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.