5A girls soccer: La Cueva wins title to adds to its record haul

A record-breaking win for the coach. A record-extending win for the program.

La Cueva girls soccer returned to New Mexico’s summit on Saturday night at the University of New Mexico Complex, as a suffocating defense and timely finishes sent the No. 1 seed to a 3-0 triumph over No. 2 Las Cruces in the Class 5A state final.

“We are all so thankful and proud of each other. We worked so hard this entire season,” said senior forward Leah Barone, who had the middle of the Bears’ three goals. “We had so much investment, so much time with each other. We even went to Ohio. And we’re just so proud that we ended on a good note.”

For the Bears (19-3-1), it is championship No. 17, extending the program’s state record. The last title came seven years ago.

For La Cueva coach Amber Ashcraft, it is her eighth title, which is a record for a woman coach in New Mexico.

“For girls soccer, we had no drama this year, and that is a huge thing,” Ashcraft said with a big smile.

The fuse on this championship was lit, Ashcraft said, exactly a year ago, on the Saturday night after La Cueva was beaten by Cleveland in the 2023 title game. The loss has been renting a large space in La Cueva’s head for 12 months, but the Bears evicted those thoughts with this victory.

“Losing that game against Cleveland last year really put this team (in the mind that) we are not losing again,” she said.

Las Cruces (19-3) didn’t record a single shot on goal, and the Bears were practically camped out in the Bulldawgs’ half of the field for extremely long stretches.

La Cueva was so much in control that the second goal of the game, scored by Barone in the 61st minute, seemed to be the clinching moment, despite the oft-repeated mantra from soccer players and coaches that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous one to protect.

“It felt definitive to us, too,” Ashcraft said. “Because I think they only crossed into our half three times in the second half.”

And this was an extension of a practice tweak La Cueva installed during the most recent offseason.

“As a coaching staff, we changed up the way we run our practices,” Ashcraft said. “We do a lot of repetition, a lot of possession soccer at practice. That’s what’s gotten us this far, being able to hold possession.”

Plus, La Cueva added a fourth defender for a 4-3-3 formation in this game, in deference to UNM’s larger playing surface.

Shea Galloway got the scoring going for the Bears, in the 14th minute. Las Cruces was unsuccessfully trying to clear the ball out of the box, but La Cueva kept the pressure on, and finally Galloway pounded home a shot from about 6 yards out.

That would prove to be all the Bears needed, but Barone’s tally was insurance, and then senior forward Makayla Chavez scored the clincher in the 74th minute.

“I think it’s just our bond. We play for each other,” Galloway said, describing the La Cueva magic this season. “And tonight we did again. We gave it our all and left it all out there.”

“It felt so satisfying,” Barone said of La Cueva’s performance. “Sometimes, teams come out and they don’t have their best game, but I thought we all rose to the occasion.”

Photos from the 4A/5A state soccer championships: Feel the emotion