Prep soccer: La Cueva boys getting healthy, nip Sandia
Oct. 14—It wasn't all that long ago that La Cueva boys soccer coach Easy Jimenez snuck a peak behind him and noticed just two players on the Bears bench.
It's been that kind of season for La Cueva. Not quite a war of attrition, perhaps but an ongoing series of battles.
Over the last several weeks, however, the Bears have gotten back to full strength after having no fewer than eight players out with injuries. Thursday night, La Cueva earned its most important win of the 2022 season, 2-1 over Sandia at the APS Soccer Complex.
The victory clinched the District 2-5A regular-season championship.
"I just told them, it's so nice to have our complete together for once," Jimenez said.
La Cueva (14-1-3 overall) has won 12 games in a row overall and improved to 8-0 in District 2-5A, and this win, over the second-place Matadors (11-6-1, 6-2), was important on another front besides the district crown. It keeps the fourth-ranked team in Class 5A in the hunt for a top-four postseason seed.
Junior forward Chris Lugones supplied the game-winner on Thursday.
Mason Barone worked up the wing and fired a shot that Sandia's goalkeeper did not secure.
Lugones ran through, pounced on the loose ball and finished the rebound in the 53rd minute to break a 1-1 deadlock.
"I thought it would have been a goal, because Mason is a great player," Lugones said. "I was running, and I couldn't stop because I couldn't stop (unless) the ball is in the back of the net. I just followed it up."
It's part of a regimen Jimenez said he has been emphasizing with La Cueva.
"We're making sure to follow up on shots a whole lot more," he said, "and make sure the 'keepers are at least saving it."
Sandia's Connor Cousins, on a penalty kick, opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Brandon Boling's goal in the 23rd minute squared it at 1-all.
GIRLS: Sandia's girls beat La Cueva 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night in a 2-5A encounter.
The Matadors' Tiana Griego, from about four steps inside the mid line, bombed a free kick into the net, with the ball hopping over the head of the Bears' goalkeeper, for a stunning walk-off victory.
BOYS SOCCER
ABQ ACADEMY 10, DEL NORTE 0
Del Norte 0 0 — 0
Academy 4 6 — 10
Scoring: 8th minute, AA, Luke Babinski (Grady Gilchrist); 35th, AA, Jett Galles (Babinski); 36th, AA, Babinski; 39th, AA, Babinski (Townes Richardson); 45th, AA, Ethan Saiz (Babinski); 53rd, AA, Jude Logan (Saiz); 57th, AA, Gian Hwang (Logan); 58th, AA, Saiz (Chase Jones); 59th, AA, Logan; 60th, AA, Hwang (Logan). Shots: DN 2, AA 18. Saves: DN 8 (Roman Hileman), AA 2 (Zach Sena). Corner kicks: DN 2, AA 6. Records: DN 6-12, AA 12-3-3.
