Pick a word: slighted, shunned or snubbed.

All apply.

The Hamilton girls soccer team thrived this season in part because the Huskies felt discarded when it came to preseason rankings, and conversations about the top teams this season.

Turns out being underestimated can drive a team to being the top squad in the state heading into the postseason as the Huskies closed out the regular season with 1-0 win over previously undefeated and No. 1 Casteel.

“It’s a team that in the preseason wasn’t in the top 15,” Hamilton coach David Belfort said. “We know that. We remember that, but we like our team. It’s a young group, but we also have some seniors that our leaders.”

The Huskies, ranked No. 2 in last Open rankings, scored a goal with 13 minutes and 54 seconds remaining in the first half against Colts and the tenacious defense of Hamilton fended off Casteel for the win.

“It came against some of the best forwards in the state,” Belfort said. “I think they were a little bit better in the first 10 minutes then when it slowed (the defensive pressure) really started coming. We want to play soccer, we used our depth, and we have some high character girls that we are confident in.”

The victory gave the Huskies (12-1-1) the 6A Premier Region title, their first outright region title since 2010-11, and presumably earned the top seed in The Open when the bracket is revealed on Saturday at 5 p.m. on AzPreps365's YouTube Channel.

Not bad for team that was underestimated for most of the season.

“We were unranked, and Coach Belfort tells us every single time we step on the field have something to prove,” junior defender Sawyer Pellant said. “We just proved we are one of the best in the state and we are going to keep working for that title.”

The Colts (11-1) had four shots on goal in the first half, including one from 30-feet out that hit the left post, and nine overall, and were unable to finish off the undefeated season.

They were very few legit offensive threats and Casteel was shut out for the first time in 27 matches, dating to Feb. 17, 2024. The reigning Open runner-up played without two starters in forward Tatum Gardner, who has eight goals five assists, and goalie Kendall Pechacek due to a hamstring injury and an illness.

Casteel coach Jason Hammonds chose not to speak after the highly competitive and lightly officiated match.

The Huskies’ goal came when senior Alexis Rodriguez corralled a loose ball after it bounced to the right off of her and a Colt defender. After a another defender stumbled, she kept it low and beat the goalie to the right post, as her shot settled into the back of the net.

“I went for it, and I was like I have to score here,” said Rodriguez, who ran to the right corner after scoring and mobbed by her teammates on the field and bench. “It’s brings a lot of joy and a great feeling when you are the one up put us up. We were against the No. 1 team and getting that early lead is important.”

After that it was up to the Hamilton defense to keep the Casteel’s potent offense, which average 4.8 goals per match, off the scoreboard.

The back line of defenders – Bryn Sauer, Chloe Molten, Mikela Curry, Addison Davis, Pellant and goalie Haley Vincelette, are all underclassmen, but the group was very much in sync and communicated throughout the match to finish off the victory.

Pellant was the clear leader on the field as she was yelling reminders, encouragement, and directions throughout the match.

“I have everything in the field in front of me, and I can see what is developing,” she said.  "And I like telling people what to do. They all work hard and do everything they can take possession or clear the ball.”

It allowed the Huskies to control the tempo as the defense thwarted the Colts’ offensive advances and were able to get the ball back to the Hamilton offense.

“When you control the pace of the game, and you have a lead, you just keep the pressure on them to find to find a way to score,” Rodriguez said, “but they can’t if they don’t have the ball.”

The win finished off the regular season with the Huskies on top, but the playoffs bring a ton of new variables and tests in the second season.

Will they be up for the challenge? Opponents better not disregard their chances or slight them in anyway.

Otherwise, there might be no stopping Hamilton from winning its second state title, joining the 2011 squad that won the 5A Division I championship.

“We want to win Open state championship,” Belfort said. “That’s the Hamilton standard when it comes to athletics. There are 10 teams that can win an Open championship. We like our girls, and we are one of them. There’s a lot to play for, and we’ll see how it goes.”