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Coach Jon Pearlman and the Sabino boys soccer team know that in the playoffs, a win is a win, no matter how it is done.

Sabino's 1-0 win over Catalina in Tuesday's Class 4A-I playoff opener may have been ugly, but the defending state champions still advanced to the next round.

"I thought we played well in spurts. They didn't push that many players forward, so it made it complicated," Pearlman said. "I thought we had lots of good chances. I thought we had the majority of chances."

Sabino controlled possession throughout the majority of the game but was unable to convert until the 62nd minute. That's when Isaac Davis hit Daniel Thomson on a cross, and Thomson was able to head it in from the far post.

"We like to get it wide. We like to score on crosses and we have a tall, strong team," Pearlman said. "It's funny that one of our smaller guys made the header. But he got on the back post like we asked him to."

Catalina played more of a defensive game, with the majority of its opportunities coming off counters and long passes.

The Trojans' best opportunity came in the 67th minute when a Catalina player's shot went wide left in a one-on-one situation with Sabino goalie Andrew Gentry.

● Catalina Foothills 5, Glendale Apollo 1: At Foothills, the Falcons put on an offensive display in their first-round victory.

But Falcons coach Julie Walters said her team still was lacking in some areas.

"It's not all glittery," said Walters, "but I'm glad about the outcome."

Foothills' first goal came in the 16th minute when junior Clay Campbell put his head on a pass from Kyle Parsons and drove it through the arms of the Glendale goalkeeper.

Shortly thereafter, senior Ernie Mejia took a shot from 25 yards out, connecting with the back of the net to give Foothills a quick 2-0 lead.

That goal was followed by an unassisted kick from junior Iiro Honkanen.

● Canyon del Oro 1, Glendale Cactus 0: At Canyon del Oro, Chad Cristia scored the lone goal in the 73rd minute that proved to be the difference.

Canyon del Oro will play Phoenix Pinnacle on Saturday in the quarterfinals at Tempe Sports Complex.

● Nogales 6, Surprise Willow Canyon 0: At Nogales, the top-seeded Apaches scored four times in the second half to advance. Sophomore forward Josue Guerrero led Nogales with a pair of scores.

"We just played hard for 80 minutes," Nogales coach Hugo Luna said. "It was a great team effort."

Class 4A-II

● Rio Rico 3, Scottsdale Coronado 0: At Coronado, the Hawks scored in the 10th minute to advance.