Bernalillo's girls soccer team wins big despite dusty winds

BERNALILLO — Despite dusty winds in Spartan Stadium, Bernalillo's girl soccer team (8-8-1) dominated the Del Norte Knights (1-13-1) Oct. 15. The lopsided match was called in the 69th minute after Bernalillo scored their 10th goal of the night.

The final: Bernalillo 10, Del Norte 0.

"Last year, we were last in our district. We got '10-0ed' by Del Norte. It feels really good to come back this season and do this," Spartan girls soccer head coach Indiana Madrid said.

In 2023, the Spartans girl's soccer team finished with a 4-15-1 record (0-8 in district play) which included two losses to Del Norte; one of those losses was a 10-0 defeat.

However, this time around it was a score-fest for the Spartans, and it began with a goal courtesy of midfielder Aasia Duran in the fourth minute. Then, four minutes later, Duran scored again.

The Spartans would go on to score eight goals in the first half. Midfielder Kimberly Valadez scored two and logged an assist. Captain Liana Garcia scored on an outside-of-the-box boot, and forward Gabriella Dominguez — an eighth grader — scored a first-half hat trick.

"We all worked really hard for the score on the scoreboard, and we worked together ... it feels great!" Dominguez said.

In the second half, the Spartans took many shots, but weather affected the trajectory of their shots. At halftime, the wind picked up, and for the rest of the game, the players played with dust constantly hitting their face.

As the wind calmed for a moment, defender Elysia Andrade was able to get a nice shot off and scored the Spartans' ninth goal, one shy of a "mercy rule."

The mercy rule did come into effect in the 69th minute, when captain Liana Garcia was able to break loose of the Knights' defensive line and score her second goal of the night.

"We've come really far from the last few years, and I am really proud of us," Garcia said.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 3-3 in district play.

"I feel like my team is coming together, and that's all you can ask for," Madrid said.

On Oct. 22, they will travel to Academy (13-3-1) for another district matchup. Academy is ranked sixth in the state.

Here are all the goals scored:

Bernalillo

Andrade- 48'

Duran- 4',8'

Dominguez- 24',33',37'

Garcia- 28',69'

Valadez- 38', 40+2'

Del Norte

NONE