Trivium Prep boys soccer coach Max Moreno wasn’t sure if any other team had gone an entire season without allowing a goal, but he was certain of one thing. 

He wanted his Crimson Knights to finish the season as champions after falling just short in last year’s state championship game.

Trivium (16-0) entered Saturday’s 2A state championship match against Glendale Prep winners of 15 straight and amazingly didn't allow a single goal in its entire power point regular season (coupled with 100 goals for).

And while their unblemished goal streak disappeared in the playoffs, Trivium Prep managed to play lockdown defense throughout the tournament, leading to a 2-1 win over the Griffins (13-4) for the first boys soccer state title in school history.

“Winning means the world to me because it means the world to my team. Last year we came up a little short, but this year the win makes it even sweeter,” Moreno continued. “We have a couple of seniors, being my (twin) sons (Prospero and Maximo), and I wanted them to have this opportunity to go out on top and they did that.”

While the defense set the tempo for the Crimson Knights, they wouldn't have captured the crown without a healthy dose of offense. That was supplied by their always reliable striker, Noah Messieha, who entered the postseason with 32 goals.

The Griffins opened the scoring on a long-range missile off the foot of sophomore Daniel Lester that gave them a 1-0 lead with 34:18 to play in the opening half. Moments later, though, it was Messieha charging up the right side on the ensuing kickoff and finding the back of the next just 14 seconds later for a 1-1 tie.

The game remained a defensive struggle as the first half was moving along when the Griffins’ William Schlofman headed what appeared to be the go-ahead goal into the Trivium net with 8:50 to play before intermission. But that tally was waved off due to a foul.

Messieha scored what proved to be the game-winning goal five minutes into the second half when he tucked the ball past the Glendale Prep goalie in traffic for the 2-1 lead.

The junior supplied all the offense Trivium needed and acknowledged how valuable his teammates’ defense was to their winning recipe.

“It was just a team effort, and all my teammates just locked down on defense. They got the ball to me so I could score, but our defense saved us,” Messieha said.

Prospero, who quarterbacked the stingy back end all season for the Crimson Knights, finished the season the way he played his entire career, locking down talented opposing players. For his efforts he was awarded the MVP of the match.

“It’s always easier to recognize the guys up top. (Prospero) worked his butt off this game. It was all about winning as a team for him,” Moreno added.

For Glendale Prep coach Paul Lester, he walked away with high praise for his squad despite the loss.

“We were up against it. We came in as the No. 6 seed, we beat No. 3, No. 2, and we pushed No. 1 all the way to the end. We played with a lot of heart. I am disappointed, but we had a great season.”