Top seeds Sandia Prep, Socorro cruise
No. 5 Santa Fe Prep, No. 6 St. Michaels also advance to semifinals
SANTA ANA PUEBLO — The top two seeds advanced comfortably in girls Class 1A-3A quarterfinal action at the Soccer Complex on Wednesday, but there were also a couple minor upsets in the bracket — at least in terms of seeding.
Top-seeded Sandia Prep cruised past No. 9 Robertson 4-0, while No. 2 Socorro did all of its damage in the first half in a 6-0 romp against No. 7 Navajo Prep. No. 5 Santa Fe Prep bested No. 4 Hatch Valley 4-0, and No. 6 St. Michael’s edged No. 3 Bosque 3-2.
The Sundevils (14-2) will face the Blue Griffins (11-4-1) and the Warriors (20-1) will meet the Horsemen (15-6-1) today at 10 a.m. NO. 6 ST. MICHAEL’S 3, NO.
3 BOSQUE 2: Frances Schneider scored the winning goal in a tense third meeting between the District 2-1A/3A rivals.
St. Michael’s led 2-0 early in the second half before the Bobcats (12-5-1) stormed back to tie the score on the strength of goals by Aviva Elliott and Lucia Hoelter.
“I think they kind of rested on their laurels a little bit, got a little too comfortable,” St. Michael’s coach Anthony Cassaro said. “Bosque’s a good team; they made us pay for our mistakes. Ultimately, I think our quality is what got us through that game.”
Schneider struck the decisive blow when she rocketed a shot over Bosque keeper Hannah Pacheco.
“I tried my hardest to finish it,” Schneider said. “I was going all in for it.”
Bosque frantically attacked in the game’s waning moments but couldn’t break through. It was a frustrating ending for the Bobcats.
“I thought we were the better team. I just think we gave them a little bit of space when we were on defense.They had a few great shots and they went in the net,” Bosque coach Jacob Cortez said. NO. 1 SANDIA PREP 4, NO. 9 ROBERTSON 0: Jackie Rodriguez scored a pair of goals in the first half to help propel the Sundevils to their third victory over the Cardinals (8-13-1).
“The big thing that really set us apart today was the amount of possession that we had through the midfield. The finishing up front from our playmakers, Jackie Rodriguez and Kiran Hill, really allowed us to dominate the game,” Sandia Prep coach Matt Westerlund said.
Hill and Isabella AbeytaJefferson tacked on goals in the second half for the Sandia Prep, which outscored Robertson by an aggregate 12-1 in three meetings. NO. 5 SANTA FE PREP 5, NO. 4 HATCH VALLEY 0: Lynn Robey scored four goals and the Blue Griffins shook off a slow start to defeat the Bears.
While Robey was the star of the day, Santa Fe Prep coach Stephanie Coppola also credited her team’s defense for limiting Hatch Valley’s opportunities.
“I think our defensive back four played very, very well,” she said. “Our goalkeeper (Allison Kice) didn’t have to make a lot of saves, but the saves she made were excellent.” NO. 2 SOCORRO 6, NO. 7 NAVAJO PREP 0: Five players scored in the opening half and the Warriors cruised from there against the Eagles (11-7-3).
Socorro coach Michael Olguin Jr. admitted to wanting a more complete game from his team, but he couldn’t find much to complain about after a torrid first half.
“Just the passing, the communication, the vision — everything was on,” he said.