Typically, when a team parts with two of the state’s best players, a small drop-off is expected.

Back-to-back state champion South Anchorage girls soccer is a not a typical team.

Lexi Luff and Faith Hughes, who combined for over 50 goals in their final season as Wolverines, both graduated last year, and yet remarkably, South, improved this year, going from unbeaten — 16-0-1 — to undefeated — 20-0-0 — and winning the state title for a second consecutive year.

Top-seeded South defeated Wasilla 5-0 on Saturday on the Warriors’ home turf, earned the program its ninth state title.

“Back-to-back champs!” senior Naomi Njoku said.

The final doubled as a send-off for 11 South seniors, including Njoku and Mia Glorioso.

“I feel like we do it for each other,” Glorioso said. “Not so much, ‘I want to do this,’ ‘I want to do that.’ It’s always just like ‘us’, like, we wanted this as a team.”

Bailey family members accounted for all but one of the of the Wolverines’ goals. Addison scored twice, Alivia once and Brianna once. Junior Darby D’Amico also scored in the win.

“We’ve all played together forever,” Addison Bailey said. “But I also think other than that, everyone’s so versatile and so we don’t really rely on one person in one position. Everyone can kind of play anywhere.”

Saturday marked Wasilla’s second-ever trip to the state final.

The No. 6 Warriors delivered back-to-back upsets over No. 3 Juneau-Douglas and No. 2 Chugiak to advance into Saturday’s final.

“I think overall it just comes with consistency and being able to play together as a team,” said Wasilla senior Makenna Hanson, who notched the game-winner over Chugiak on Friday. “We all go through our ups and downs, but we all know at the end that we have each other, and we can all rely back onto each other.

“So, whether that’s showing up during off season and doing the extra work outside of practices, we were able to come back together and make it work.”

In a strange twist this year, the South faced Dimond in the semifinals. South and Dimond had appeared in the previous six state finals.

“Personally, I was most nervous for the Dimond game,” Addison Bailey said. “I knew that’s a rivarly; rivalries are different and so I thought if there was going to be an upset, it might be that game. But, honestly, they (Wasilla) came out hard and, yeah, it was nice to get one early, kind of ease the pressure.”

Addison Bailey scored in just the third minute.

After taking a pass from junior Darby D’Amico, Bailey dribbled 30 yards up the pitch before lifting a quick shot into the corner of the net.

“I got my space and I saw the keeper was a little off her line, and thought maybe I could chip her,” she said. “She was taller, so I’m glad I got it over (her).”

Sophomore Alivia Bailey added another goal in the 16th minute, booting in a deflection off the mitts of Wasilla goalkeeper Larkynn Miner.

“We definitely worked as a team to make our way here – our defense, midfield, offense, everything worked really hard,” Alivia Bailey said.

Wasilla could not cut into the deficit, unable to finish off passes into South’s 18-yard box.

In the 27th minute, South scored again on a stellar pass by Brooklyn Shankar.

Shankar sent a perfectly placed one-touch through ball to a cutting D’Amico, who outran Wasilla defenders before adding a third score.

With multiple all-state caliber players at every position, many South starters like Brianna Bailey got extra rest before the second half.

It paid off.

After scoring in the 67th minute, Brianna Bailey set up cousin Addison Bailey to cap scoring in the 70th minute.

“It also comes with a lot of hard work during practice,” Njoku said. “Because we all have to showcase our skills and really fight for our position on the field but we have such a deep field of players that no matter who’s on the field, it’s still a really strong team overall.”