2022 NMAA Soccer Championships Semifinal News and Scores

Article by Jonathan Noah Padilla

Photos by Jonathan Noah Padilla and James Padilla

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Girls A-3A #1 Sandia Prep vs #5 St. Michael’s Final score Sundevils 2 Horsemen 1

A-3A #1 seed Sandia Prep took on #5 St. Michael’s in a NMAA girls A-3A semifinal match. Sophomore #2 Penny Hashagen and senior #1 Kiran Hill had goals for the Sundevils. St. Michael’s came within one goal late in the second half on a goal by junior, #5 Tara Schneider but they were unable to complete the comeback. Sandia Prep faces off with #2 seed Bosque for the championship on Friday 11/4, 4pm at Cleveland High School.

Girls A-3A #2 Bosque vs #6 Robertson Final score Bobcats 2 Cardinals 1

#2 seed Bosque hosted #6 Robertson in the other girls A-3A semifinal match. Robertson gave Bosque a challenge as the game went deep into the second half tied, 1-1. 8th grader, #15 Layla Chimenti, scored a goal late in the second half to put the Bobcats up 2-1 which ended up being the final score. Bosque advances to the championship where they will face #1 Sandia Prep on Friday 11/4, 4pm at Cleveland High School.

Boys A-3A #1 Sandia Prep vs 5 Robertson Final score Sundevils 3 Cardinals 1

#1 Sandia Prep faced off with #5 Robertson. The Sundevils scored 3 goals in the first half of the match. Senior #9 Capp Terrell started the scoring off, scoring a goal on a loose ball created by senior #12 Finn Saunders inside the box. Finn scored the second goal for Sandia Prep off a penalty kick. Junior, #13 Leighton Dellabarca, notched the third goal on a thunderous shot that banged off the left post into the goal. Robertson was able to get one goal back but three goals was too much of a lead to overcome. Sandia Prep squares off with #2 Hatch Valley for the 2022 A-3A Boys Championship on Friday 11/4, 6:30pm at Cleveland High School.

Girls 4A #1 Hope Christian vs #4 Los Alamos Final score Huskies 6 Hilltoppers 0

Hope Christian hosted Los Alamos for a NMAA Girls 4A semifinal. The game started off slow paced but gradually picked up. The Hilltoppers limited the Huskies to 2 goals in the first half which is tough to do. Hope Christian eventually turned it on in the second half as they scored four more times. Senior, #22 Ashlyn Salas, in a rare soccer feet, had what some refer to as a haul (four goals in one match). Junior striker, #12 Savanah Sanchez, added the two other goals for the Huskies. Junior, #14 Zylee Dominguez, was quite the dishing machine as she ended the game with four assists. Hope Christian advances to the 4A championship where they will play St. Pius X for the third straight year. The game will be on Sat 11/5, 4pm at Cleveland High School.

Girls 5A #1 Cleveland vs #5 Cibola Final score Storm 3 Cougars 0

5A #1 seed Cleveland hosted district rival Cibola. These two teams have already had three meetings this year with the Storm winning all of them. This fourth match had the same result. Cleveland came out strong and kept the pressure on for the entirety of the match. Cleveland had three players score a goal, junior, #12 Sienna Salazar, junior, #14 Ella Kent-Loop, and senior, #21 Maleah Quinones. Storm goalkeeper, senior, #00 Brooke Keene, had 7 saves in route to a shutout. Cleveland will face #3 seed Eldorado in the 5A championship, 11/5, 11am at Cleveland High School.

Girls 4A #2 Academy vs #3 St. Pius X Final score OT Chargers 1 Sartans 2

Academy hosted St. Pius X in the other semifinal for the Girls 4A bracket. The first half was scoreless between these two. Academy scored the first goal of the match in the second half. The Chargers led until Sartan sophomore, #20 Carina Suarez, tied it up late in regulation. This equalizer helped send the game into overtime where Carina struck again. Suarez was able to gather a loose ball, take a tap to get around the goalkeeper and put it into the back of the net. Her golden goal sends St. Pius X to a championship showdown with Hope Christian. These two teams have met in the championship the previous two years. They have split those matches with Hope winning last year. The championship will be played 11/5, 4pm at Cleveland High School.

Semifinal Scores Boys

Semifinal Scores Girls

Bandit 2022 NMAA Soccer Champion picks:

5A Boys – Volcano Vista | 5A Girls – Eldorado | 4A Boys – Lovington | 4A Girls – Hope Christian | A-3A Boys – Sandia Prep | A-3A Girls – Sandia Prep