Horsemen roll before hectic final week
The St. Michael’s Horsemen spent 40 minutes preparing for a hectic finish to the 2017 boys soccer season. The results were encouraging. St. Michael’s scored seven goals in the second half to obliterate host Questa 9-0 in a District 2-1A/4A match Thursday.
The Horsemen had only two players on the bench, but their head coach, Mike Feldewert, juggled the lineup for the first half. Then, St. Michael’s went to work after the break.
“We took it to them in the second half,” Feldewert said. “That was considered a tune-up for next week, and that was how we wanted to go into it.”
St. Michael’s (8-6-2 overall, 5-3 in 2-1A/4A) faces a whirlwind final week of the regular season, with four district matches that begin with a home battle against leader Santa Fe Prep on Monday. Then comes a trip to Taos on Wednesday to finish a match from last week that reached the 38th minute before it was suspended.
The following day is another road trip to Las Vegas Robertson before finishing the season with a home match against Taos on Oct. 21. The state tournament seeding and selection meeting is Oct. 22.
Feldewert said winning three of four will be crucial toward his team’s chances of at least a top-3 district finish and a spot in the state tournament.
“We’re going to play as if we have to win each game,” Feldewert said, “especially if we want to secure a spot and have a good shot at second in the district.”
Sam Baca moved up from his defensive position to record a hat trick, while Wesley Reynolds had a pair of goals. Wesley Graham, Hayden Lee, Berkley Reynolds and Justice Johnson each had a goal to cap the scoring.
St. Michael’s also assisted on six goals on the day.
TAOS 2, MONTE DEL SOL 0
The Dragons started to show they could pass the ball well enough to set up good opportunities, but their ability to turn shots into goals eluded them in a 2-1A/4A match at Eco Park.
It was a scoreless match at the half before the Tigers (4-8-2, 5-3) got two shots past Monte del Sol goalkeeper Noel Puentes.
“It was a better performance compared to how we used to play,” Dragons head coach Fritz Rothdach. “In the beginning of the season, we more or less relied on the long shot and some people having to do everything. We’ve tried to coach and teach them better, and now they are moving the ball around.”
Monte del Sol (6-9-1, 3-6) has a home match Saturday against Desert Academy at 3 p.m. at the Municipal Recreation Complex rugby field.