St. Michael’s girls soccer team takes an unblemished record into the state tournament

With an overall record of 7-0-1 and the District 2-3A championship in hand, first-year head St. Michael’s girls soccer coach Alfonso Camarena now awaits the state tournament seedings to be announced Saturday night by the New Mexico Activities Association.

The regular season wound up with the Lady Horsemen shutting down visiting East Mountain, 5-0, Thursday afternoon for the team’s seventh shutout of the impressive campaign, and with junior Milena Keener as the goaltender, and behind another overall stout defensive and especially by the middle fielders in controlling any offensive attacks.

“We took 16 shots,” said Camarena, whose daughters Adrina and Monse previously played soccer for St. Michael’s, and assisted him at several matches this season. He was also assisted by former Lady Horsemen coach Gerzain Chavez.

He added that East Mountain didn’t get off a single shot.

The initial goal was the only points St. Michael’s needed, and it came 33 minutes into the first half on a header from senior Olivia Farrah to go 1-0 at halftime. In the second half at the 47th minute, sophomore Grace Sandoval scored from 25 yards out. Not long after, sophomore Farrah Baker tallied off a rebounded shot from sophomore Elsa Rammey Smith that hit the side of the crossbars.

It became 4-0 when Olivia Farrar scored in the 64th minutes on an assist from senior Rachel Morgan, and the final tally was at the 78th minute on an what Coach Camarena called an “Olympic” goal when Smith ‘curved’ a corner kick into the goal.

It was the final regular season match for seniors Farrah, Morgan, Schneider and Cassie Gravel, now they await the playoffs, the semifinals that begin Tuesday at the fields of the higher seeds. The championship will be played Thursday at the University of New Mexico Soccer Complex.

“We’re hoping for a good seed,” Camarena said, “it’s only the districts champs in the tournament and we are one of them as well as having a real fine record.”

The scoreless tie was at Los Alamos in a non-district match.