Prep soccer: Four top seeds advance to 5A girls soccer semifinals

All chalk — but it was slightly more complicated than that, especially for the state’s top-ranked team.

No. 4 seed Rio Rancho, No. 3 La Cueva and No. 2 Eldorado all posted multiple-goal victories on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A girls state soccer tournament.

It was the No. 1 seed, Volcano Vista, that flirted most with an unexpectedly early dismissal.

But the Hawks held on and beat Farmington in penalties, and the top four seeds reached Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Rio Rancho was a 5-0 winner over Hobbs, Eldorado blanked Piedra Vista 2-0 and La Cueva was a 2-0 winner over Organ Mountain.

Volcano Vista plays Rio Rancho, while La Cueva faces Eldorado on Tuesday. Eagles coach Aaron Forrester said Eldorado will host the Bears at 2 p.m. Tuesday (which is Election Day, and thus Albuquerque Public Schools is not in session.)

Rio Rancho is visiting Volcano Vista at noon Tuesday.

The Hawks are thankful to still be alive and hosting anyone after District 1-6A rival Farmington, the No. 8 seed, took them to penalties on Friday afternoon.

Volcano (17-4) won the shootout 4-2.

Eighth-grader Savannah Russell made a huge save in the fourth round to preserve a 3-2 lead in PKs, and a second later, junior Lara Shelle stepped to the line and put home the game-winner to end it and send the Hawks into the semis.

“I think in the postseason, it takes a little bit of luck,” Hawks coach Ashley Nieder said. “Sometimes it takes one of those crazy games to advance, and I’m happy to be on this side of it.”

The teams were tied 1-1 through regulation and two overtimes. Kasey Sandoval had a first-half penalty kick goal for Volcano Vista that tied the match after Shelle was fouled in the box.

“Seeing them (Farmington) on our side of the bracket was nerve-racking,” Nieder said. The Scorpions played Volcano Vista close twice in 1-6A action.

At Eldorado in the afternoon, the second-seeded Eagles (17-2-1) got an early goal in the eighth minute from Ona Leiro, who found space on the right side before finishing with a great shot. In a physical match, that goal stood up until almost the end, with Malina Salas’ finish in the 75th minute giving Eldorado a two-goal cushion over the 10th-seeded Panthers (14-8).

At the APS Complex on Friday night, senior midfielder Kena Hix buried a 45-yard free kick late in the first half, and the Bears (17-4) won a tough battle against the sixth-seeded Knights (18-4).

Hix supplied the major highlight of the day in the four quarters, blasting in that free kick to break a scoreless deadlock.

“Beautiful,” La Cueva coach Amber Ashcraft said of the finish.

Hix said she was definitely intent on getting this shot on frame; it ended up ricocheting in off the far post.

“They always say for me to shoot from farther out, because I’m a good long distance shooter,” Hix said.

And, she added, it steadied the team.

“For sure, it got some of the first state game jitters out and gave us a sense of (calm) and let us know that we got it,” Hix said.

An own goal early in the second half doubled the La Cueva lead; it was credited to junior Myelle Segura.

“The quarterfinal games are always really tricky,” Ashcraft said. “My girls were getting antsy to play.”

At Rio Rancho on Friday night, freshman Danae Lee had a hat trick — in the first half — as the Rams (15-4-2) rolled past fifth-seeded Hobbs (18-4).

Lee scored in the eighth, 25th and 38th minutes as Rio Rancho led 3-0 at halftime.

Sophomore Sophia Smith and senior Kieara Trujillo-Garcia added second-half tallies for the Rams.

Sophomore Tegan Chaves had a clean sheet in frame.