ROBERTSON AT ST. MICHAEL’S

Undefeated at the Christian Brothers Athletic Conference soccer field that it calls home, St. Michael’s girls team was trailing 1-0 and 2-1 to visiting Robertson in a key District 2-3A match played Monday, so it reached out to say “Grace.”

That was a call for senior midfielder/forward Grace Sandoval. She had been on the varsity since 8th grade and was a starter each year, but despite not remembering if you ever turned in the “Hat Trick” before, she came through in Lady Horsemen blue and white colors.

From 2-1 down in the second half, it was Sandoval to the rescue. She tallied three straight goals and just like that, it became 4-2 St. Michael’s, and after sophomore forward/midfielder Elana Lovato made the last two goals, it wound up a whooping 6-2 win for the home side.

What was amazing was that the Cardinals, with a stellar goalkeeper in senior Lexie Cunico, had allowed only 13 goals through the season, had won their first nine starts and posted seven shutouts, with a 3-2 loss to District rival Santa Fe Prep and a 4-3 triumph in getting past Ruidoso. They also played a 1-1 deadlock in overtime versus Prep.

Aside from the shutouts, the other wins yielded a goal each as well as turning back Socorro, 4-2, which lost in the 2020 state 3A finals to St. Michael’s. Now Robertson dropped to 13-2-1 overall and 2-2-1 in district, have scored 69 goals against 19 against and the Lady Horsemen can clinch the district versus the Griffins Wednesday at Sun Mountain Field. Now they stand at 13-4 overall and 6-1 in district, and are 6-0 at home.

This surprising romp brought head coach Alfonso Camarena’s team to 97 goals scored and 21 yielded. Camarena was the only applicant

when he applied for the position in 2019. That came after the program had a different head coach four years in a row, the last being Gerzain  Chavez, who has now been Camerena’s assistant since day one.

Said Sandoval: “Really, I can’t recall scoring three times in a game, but what’s important was winning this match, one of my best-ever times out there. I also run sprints for our track team, but soccer is my favorite.”

The initial goal came unassisted from Robertson senior striker Amber Doss only two minutes into the match. She barely got it over the head of senior goaltender Jacquelin Gorman, but St. Michael’s freshman Sophia Miera answered back by firing in an unassisted boot into the corner of the goal at 21:23.