Ashcraft wins 400th game with La Cueva

The 400-win club for high school girls soccer coaches in this country just added a new member.

La Cueva High’s Amber Ashcraft on Tuesday night won her 400th career game — all with her alma mater — as the Bears defeated Piedra Vista 5-1 in Farmington.

“It means a lot,” Ashcraft said in a phone interview. “Being able to coach at one school, and coaching at my alma mater, and having so many girls pass through my program. … Getting to 400 is kind of a big number.”

Ashcraft, in her 21st season, is 400-69-3.

According to the National Federation of High Schools records list, Ashcraft is just the 10th person to reach the 400-win plateau, and the second woman.

However, it is not entirely clear how accurate this list is, since even Ashcraft, who began the year with 386 victories, doesn’t appear on the list. And that number would easily qualify her for inclusion.

Last June, Ashcraft, who is 43, was named Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.

“It has been an extremely rewarding year,” Ashcraft said. “I’m still so glad and happy and amazed to be coaching at La Cueva.”

Ashcraft has guided La Cueva (14-2-1 this fall) to eight state titles, including last season. Six other years, La Cueva lost in the state final.

“Never in a million years did I dream (about a milestone like this),” she said. “I just wanted to win state championships; that’s all I care about.”

There will be a more formal celebration Saturday afternoon when La Cueva plays West Mesa at the APS Complex. The Bears currently are in second place in District 2-5A behind Eldorado.

A win Saturday would tie Ashcraft for ninth place all-time.

Ashcraft will have to coach quite a while longer to catch the leader, Carlos Giron, who won 770 games at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from 1984-2016. On the NFHS list, the only woman ahead of Ashcraft is Helen Sandford, who won 440 games at Oneonta, N.Y., from 1973-2002.