---

Girls Soccer 2024 Semifinal Results

Road to the Girls A-3A Championship

In A-3A, #1 Sandia Prep easily continued their run into the championship match with a 6-0 victory over #4 Bosque. On the other half of the bracket, #2 Ruidoso and #3 Cottonwood Classical needed double overtime to determine the second party in the A-3A Championship. Cottonwood held a 2-0 lead at half but the Warriors found two goals of their own in the second half. The match went scoreless through the first overtime period. The Coyotes scored a golden goal in the second overtime period to advance to the championship in their first season as a NMAA competitor.

Championship Breakdown

The A-3A Championship features District 1 rivals. The Sundevils and Coyotes will have their third showdown of the season to determine who takes home the blue trophy. Sandia Prep took both previous matches, 3-0 and 6-0. Sandia Prep is looking to four-peat as champions while Cottonwood Classic will be playing in their first championship ever.

Sandia Prep has a ton of playoff experience and eight seniors on their roster. #2 Penny Hashagen provides key leadership and offensive prowess. She is no stranger to big moments and can score when the opportunities arise. Sandia Prep has a stout defense that is anchored by seniors #15 Emma Cordero and #17 Kayla Calkins with #3 Taylor Calkins in goal. #18 Bridget Hurley moves around the field to play where she is needed and does it effectively. The Sundevils have few weaknesses across the field and will be tough to defeat.

Cottonwood Classical is led by captains #8 Grace Rodriguez and #3 Isabella Serbin. They are joined by a host of underclassmen. Three sensational sophomores, #20 Ryah Carlson, #8 Analiese Seifert, and #5 Abby Dyer are all in the top 4 for goals scored on the team. Freshman #7 Jaiden Brown is third in that group. 8th grader, #00 Avery Salgado will be in the goal for the Coyotes.

Cottonwood has a tall order if they want to spoil Sandia Prep’s try for four straight. The Sundevils are tough but championship victories aren’t guaranteed, even for the overwhelming powerhouse. Look no further than their 2022 championship match against Bosque where they needed a late game winning goal by Maddie Hashagen to seal the deal. Coyotes will be the underdog in this matchup but they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You can be sure they will come out looking to end their first official season as champions.

Boys Soccer

Road to the Boys A-3A Championship

The boys A-3A bracket gave us an upset in the semifinals. #4 New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) traveled to Albuquerque to face off with #1 Sandia Prep in what was a rematch of last years championship. The game was close the whole way but NMMI was able to squeak a goal by Sandia Prep from what appeared to be a high arching cross from the side of the box that found its way into the net. That was all they needed to take the victory. #2 Santa Fe Prep handled #6 Bosque to the tune of 5-1, avenging their only loss of the year from September 3.

Championship Breakdown

NMMI has a well disciplined team that can strike for a goal any given moment. They play tough and are big in size. The Colts will grind through games and stick around with tough opponents. They are now on a 12 game win streak headed into the championship. Senior #22 Pedro Dayrell Sousa is instrumental for the Colts. He leads the team in goals with 15 and is second in assists. That being said, the Colts have plenty of players that can find the net. #13 J. Arenal Mijares, #15 L. Abreu Amorim, and #10 D. Dosamantes Urbina are all in the double digits for goals scored this year. After them there are still plenty of supporting players that are threats to score.

Santa Fe Prep has played 15 games since their last loss while mixing in two ties in that span. Senior #7 William Babcock has 17 goals and 11 assists on the season. He will be a focal point for the Griffins. Supporting him on offense will be freshman, #2 Dylan Shandler, and senior, #10 Weston Stump. Senior, #11 Cyrus Hnasko, knows how to set his teammates up, he leads the team with13 assists. Santa Fe Prep is tough defensively as they have only allowed 15 goals this season.

Both teams have the offensive fire power to score goals. NMMI has 88 while Santa Fe Prep has 87 this year. The glaring difference is goals allowed. NMMI has conceded 26 to Prep’s 15. The difference in competition through the season may be a factor in that disparity though. NMMI can very well go back-to-back as champions and they have the pieces and experience to do it. The Griffins defense will have to stifle the Colts attack to keep them in the game.

---