Season ends for local high school soccer teams; No postseason bids

The high school soccer season has come to an end for the boys and girls at Belen, Valencia and Los Lunas after the field for the state championships was announced without the Eagles, Jaguars or Tigers selected.

That was not unexpected, with only one county team, the LLHS girls (10-9-1, 5-3), posting a winning record.

Jorge Tarango, LLHS girls head coach, said it was “A transition and a rebuilding year,” with four eighth-graders and seven freshmen seeing regular playing time. The coach believes the future looks, “promising for the program. Returning players are dedicated and ambitious.”

The Tigers will return firepower, with freshmen Ellisyn Bertrand (21 goals) and Jasmine Griego (17 goals) scoring consistently. Hailey Cannon, eighth grade, gained valuable experience in net.

There will be holes to fill, with Vayda Golina (18 goals) and top defender Nevaeh Monarrez graduating. Tarango credited the seniors with instilling “the mindset and work ethic that it takes to be competitive” in younger players.

Both the girls’ teams at VHS (4-15, 4-4) and BHS (3-15, 1-7) dealt with small rosters, and in the case of Valencia, inexperience.

“Each game they’ve made progress. They learned so much,” said Kimberly Chavez, VHS head coach.

The Jaguars’ four victories came in district play against Grants and Belen, including a 3-0 win against BHS last week, with AvaMarie Burkhard scoring all three goals.

Valencia did not have a junior or senior on the roster, with Burkhard, the coach’s daughter, only a freshman.

“It will only get better. It will only get stronger for next year,” said Chavez, who had a total of nine eighth-graders and freshmen on the roster.

Belen (3-17, 1-7) had trouble finding the back of the net, with Addison Carter, the leading goal scorer in New Mexico last season, not playing high school soccer.

“It was a bit of a rough start,” said first-year BHS coach Vianca Chaparro. “We had to learn how to work together.”

Top scorer Sophia Cox, a state champion sprinter, is only a junior. The Eagles will lose just two seniors, Danilynn Bob, midfielder/keeper, and Naveah Frazier, keeper/defender. Chaparro has seen a lot of progress.

“The girls have really come together as a family. I couldn’t be prouder,” the coach said.

Two close losses to district foe Highland hurt the chances Valencia (9-11, 4-4) had to qualify for the boys tournament. The Jags did end the season with a 4-1 victory over Belen, as Pecos Jones and Bladimir Ramirez each scored two goals.

“They have come a long way from prior years,” said Eric Gutierrez, VHS coach. “I don’t see these guys giving up on anything.”

The Jaguars lose a whopping 11 seniors, including midfielder Shawn Mankins and Andres Burkhard, keeper. Among those returning is Jones, the team’s top scorer. While acknowledging next season may be a “rebuild,” Gutierrez believes his departing players have prepared the remaining roster well.

“They’ve mentored the younger guys,” he said. “That’s what I’ve enjoyed most.”

Despite having an ever-changing roster, with injuries among the issues, Belen boys coach Edgar Lopez says it was an enjoyable season.

“We had fun, which is the most important thing,” Lopez said.

The Eagles (3-17, 1-7) will lose five seniors but had 11 juniors this season, including Jairo Cardenas, who started in goal for BHS.

“We started to pick it up in district. We learned what we need to do as far as system play.”

The Los Lunas boys (1-18, 0-8) had nearly as many eighth-graders on the roster as seniors, four and five, respectively.

Freshman midfielder Jakobee Plascencia was the Tigers’ leading scorer, while keeper Archer Chavez is set to return for his final campaign.

The highpoint of the season came with a 10-0 victory over Gallup. The Tigers also had some narrow setbacks, including a shootout loss to Aztec.