2023 NMAA Soccer State Championships 1st Round Recap

2023 NMAA SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS GIRLS AND BOYS

Girls Soccer

5A
#8 Sandia 1 #9 Mayfield 0
#5 Santa Fe 5 #12 Clovis 1
#6 Volcano Vista 3 #11 Hobbs 0
#7 Albuquerque 1 #10 Los Lunas 0

4A
#8 Goddard 2 #9 Bloomfield 1
#5 Aztec 5 #12 Kirtland Central 0
#6 Santa Teresa 1 #11 Taos 0
#7 Moriarty 3 #10 Artesia 2

In the girls bracket, #6 Volcano Vista girls hosted #11 Hobbs. The game went scoreless through the first half but the Hawks turned it on in the second, scoring three goals. It was the baby Hawk duo of Lyza Shelle and Kasey Sandoval that scored goals. Shelle, an eighth grader, had one while freshman Sandoval had the other two. Volcano Vista moves on to face #4 Las Cruces in the quarterfinals on Friday at 1pm at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces.

#The specific relevant content for this request, if necessary, delimited with characters: #7 Albuquerque played against #10 Los Lunas. This was the closest match these two had all year as the game went into two overtime periods. The Bulldogs finished the game on a corner kick when seniors Madeline Everett and Viviana Munoz connected for a header that banged off the upper left post right into the back of the net. Albuquerque moves on to face #2 La Cueva on Friday, 5 pm at the APS Soccer Complex.

#8 Sandia squared off with #9 Mayfield. Sandia controlled the game for the most part. While dominating ball possession, the Matadors were only able to muster up one goal late in the first half, but that was all they needed. Junior Leilani Clark scored the lone goal. Mayfield was able to scrounge up some scoring opportunities but couldn’t capitalize on them. Sandia will now take on #1 Cleveland in the quarterfinals this Friday, 5:30pm at Cleveland High School.

Boys Soccer

5A
#8 Gadsden 4 #9 Rio Rancho 3
#5 Volcano Vista 3 #12 Mayfield 0
#6 Organ Mountain 1 #11 Rio Grande 0
#7 Cleveland 2 #10 Albuquerque 5

4A
#8 Artesia 0 #9 Lovington 4
#5 Santa Teresa 1 #12 Taos 0
#6 Goddard 2 #11 Chaparral 1
#7 Highland 6 #10 Miyamura 0

#5 Volcano Vista also hosted a first-round match for the boys’ bracket as they faced off with #12 Mayfield. The Hawks started the scoring off quickly on a free kick from Asher Saban. They never looked back, eventually winning 3-0. The other goals were scored by Jovany Orona and Jayden Ortiz. The Volcano boys will also be headed south for their quarterfinal match against #4 Centennial on Friday at 7 pm, also at the Field of Dreams.

In other boys 5A action, #10 Albuquerque defeated #7 Cleveland, 5-2. This victory is probably a little sweeter for the Bulldogs as Cleveland upset Albuquerque in last year’s playoffs. Albuquerque will have #2 La Cueva in the quarterfinals on Friday at 5pm. The match will be at the APS Soccer Complex.

In 4A, the high-powered Highland Hornets took care of Miyamura, 6-0. Highland will face Albuquerque Academy on Saturday in their quarterfinal match. The game will be played at Academy, 11am.