RAMS MOVE ON IN 6A SOCCER
Rio Rancho handles Las Cruces to set up quarterfinal with rival Cleveland
Rio Rancho earns 3-0 first-round state tournament win over Las Cruces and next will face Cleveland in the boys Class 6A quarterfinals.
RIO RANCHO — The message from junior Payton Sandoval was brief.
“We want revenge,” he said. “Times two.”
Sandoval’s chip-shot goal in the third minute proved to be the only security blanket Rio Rancho needed on Saturday afternoon, as the fifthseeded Rams beat No. 12 Las Cruces 3-0 in the first round of the Class 6A boys state soccer tournament.
Rio Rancho (15-4-2) faces No. 4 Cleveland in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Storm went 1-0-1 in league play against the Rams, which is what Sandoval was referencing.
Saturday, Rio Rancho navigated its way through a middling first half — save for Sandoval’s goal, which was never intended as a shot on goal. “I wanted to cross it,” Sandoval said. With the goalkeeper off his line, Sandoval went up and over from about 22 yards out. It was his team-best 13th of the year.
Later, in the second half, the Rams became relentless. They spent nearly the entire 40 minutes in the Bulldawgs’ half, and only some savvy work from Las Cruces’ defense and goalkeeper kept this game as close as it was for as long as it was.
“We just pressured the heck out of them,” Rams coach John Shepard said. “Our fitness is showing. I have to credit Cruces, though, because they withheld under that pressure for so long.”
Shepard cryptically mentioned a change in tactics, but wouldn’t elaborate: “They made (the change) on their own. They knew what to do.”
But isn’t that your job? Shepard was asked.
“I’m the backup,” he responded with a smile. “We’re building young men, and they need to be able to make decisions without any outside help.”
Rio Rancho added two late goals. David Hite’s cross in the 72nd minute was headed into the goal by a Bulldawgs’ defenseman in the 72nd minute, and Jesse Padilla had a blast from 8 yards out in the 79th minute.
■ Also Saturday, Los Lunas’ boys, the No. 10 seed in Class 5A, were whipped 7-0 by No. 7 seed Chaparral. — James Yodice
Girls
Class 6A’s No. 9 seed, Sandia (12-61), went on the road and dominated eighth-seeded Carlsbad in a 5-0 victory. Rayetta Calderon had a pair of goals for the Matadors.
“We believed that we were strong enough that we could play the way we wanted to, and that’s how we trained, and that’s how we went about things,” Matadors coach David Disko said. “We finally, after some trial and error over the course of the season, have come up with a group that we like.”
Kaitlin Mack, Sydney Groth and Hannah Gallegos had the other goals for Sandia, which led 4-0 at halftime.
The Matadors will face rival and No. 1 La Cueva in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“We have the utmost respect for them,” Disko said, “but we’re not afraid of them.”
■ In Class 5A, 12th-seeded Valencia (10-9-2) — which only got into the field after Santa Teresa unexpectedly was removed — knocked off No. 5 Alamogordo in penalty kicks after the teams were tied 1-1 through regulation and two overtimes.
Freshman Yazmine Romero had the game-winner in PKs for Valencia, which outscored the Tigers 5-4 from the line in the shootout.