The Gilbert boys soccer team was hoping the third time would be a charm, but all it did was leave the Tigers as a state tournament casualty.

The number three, in fact, was a popular number between Gilbert and intracity rival Highland during Friday's 5A Division I state quarterfinal match at Paradise Valley, but for different reasons.

It was Highland's Ari Sanchez (No. 3) and his left foot that proved the difference in Highland's 2-1 victory on Friday night.

In addition to the Hawks' win being their third over Gilbert this season, it was their eighth straight and puts them in the state semifinals for the third consecutive year.

Highland will face the winner of Saturday's match between No. 16 Chandler and No. 8 Phoenix Brophy on Thursday at Arizona State.

Highland, the No. 4 seed, has split with Brophy and lost to Chandler this season.

"I hadn't thought about it," Hawks coach Tim Barmettler said of his desired opponent. "... We know what we'll be up against."

With two schools so familiar with one another, something unexpected figured to happen; to the Tigers chagrin, it did.

After Highland goalie Justin Incarnati made one of his nine saves on the evening, he booted the ball back past midfield. It took one long, high bounce and wound up deep in Gilbert territory. The fifth-seeded Tigers tried to head the ball back to their goalie, J.J. Meier, but a miscommunication left the net open, and the ball bounced into the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game.

"You could tell both teams were out of sync," Barmettler said of the first half.

But the Hawks kept coming. They had three chances and hit the post a few minutes later.

Gilbert's Dylan Seifert tried a header that missed by no more than a couple feet, but on the ensuing rush the other way, Sanchez wound up with the ball on a crossing pass and booted it in from 15 yards out for a 2-0 lead midway through the first half.

The Hawks added a third goal, but it was waved off due to an offsides call.

The Hawks spent most of the day hounding Gilbert's defense, but Tigers captain Brad Mason pulled his team within 2-1 with 17:40 left in the second half when he booted a shot into the upper corner following a throw-in and scrum.

Both teams had chances in the closing 15 minutes, which became a frenzy of activity, but Incarnati came up big. He also had a key save late in the first half when he gave up his body on a breakaway and deflected a Gilbert blast from point-blank range.

"We dug ourselves a big hole early, and against a team that good, it was too big," Gilbert coach Jeff Perry said.