October 31, 2026 - 7:25 pm

Arbor View boys soccer coach Robert Starbird has waited 20 years to see his Aggies win a title.

Then came Saturday’s 5A Southern Region championship game against host Palo Verde — part soccer match, part marathon. Starbird had to wait all of regulation, two overtime periods and nine penalty kicks before his dream came to fruition.

Arbor View outlasted the Panthers for the program’s first championship, winning in a penalty kick shootout after playing a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime.

“It was a dog fight,” Starbird said. “We showed some guts the whole tournament. I tell them, you’ve gotta be willing to suffer. It feels good in the end. They put the work in and they just worked so hard. I’m so proud of this group.”

Both teams advance to the 5A state tournament, which starts Friday at Faith Lutheran. Arbor View gets the No. 1 seed and will face Sparks, the Northern Region’s No. 2 seed at 5 p.m.…