Ram Magic: Girls rally in stoppage time to stun Hawks, head to state final

ALBUQUERQUE — Do you believe in magic?

If you don’t, the Rio Rancho girls soccer team may present quite the counterargument.

In the 5A state semifinal, the Rams stunned the No.-1-seeded Volcano Vista Hawks thanks to a Sophia Smith goal in stoppage time to win 2-1. Rio Rancho (16-4-1), with another cinematic win in the books, is headed to the state final for the first time since 2014 to face No. 2 Eldorado.

“It feels amazing,” Smith said about the victory. “I was so excited, I was jumping in the air. I am thankful that my team and I have this opportunity after not going to state for the past four years.”

A special Election Day noon kick at Volcano Vista High School may have taken some of the air out of the pregame anticipation, but once that whistle blew, the intensity ramped up.

As in the past two times these teams have met, a low-scoring affair was inevitable. Smith and fellow RRHS forward Kieara Trujillo-Garcia brought the pace on the Ram attack, while Volcano’s Kasey Sandoval and Lara Shelle came to play.

Coming off a 5-0 shutout in the quarterfinals against Hobbs, Rams goalkeeper Tegan Chaves and the talented Ram defense prepared for battle with the Hawks’ blitz of an attack.

“So our game plan was to try and shut down No. 4 (Sandoval), because the past two times we’ve played them, everything goes through her,” Chaves said. “We also just try to stay together, always communicating so our teammates know where they are and if someone is on them, which helps with shutting down the forwards.”

Both teams battled in a fast-paced first half with few scoring chances to show for it. Sitting at 0-0 at half, it felt as if even just one goal could be the difference between a trip to the finals and the end of a season.

The defensive slog rolled on, until Rams freshman Taylor Roskos came along.

Roskos, on the run, avoided a Hawks defender and sent a bending boot from about 40-plus yards to find the back of the net. The otherworldly shot ignited the well-traveled away Rams crowd like a match over gasoline, with their squad now holding a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes left in the match.

“I think the key for me was concentration and not letting the moment overwhelm me,” Roskos said.

As if the stakes couldn’t get any higher, the tension in the air was now thicker than ever before. The Rams were minutes away from punching their ticket, and the Hawks were scrambling to extend their season.

With Sandoval locked up, it was the Lara Shelle show for Volcano. The speedy junior flew all over, including some long runs nearly leading to the equalizer.

Clock ticking, season dwindling, it felt like the Rams were gonna break the 11-year drought, but who had something to say for it?

Sandoval and Shelle. As stoppage time began, Sandoval crossed one into the box to find the head of Shelle.

Buried. 1-1. The Rams could only hold those two off for so long.

Deflated, the Rams now shifted back into go mode. Due to some injury stoppages on Volcano’s side earlier in the match, there was a sizable amount of stoppage time left to be played.

It would have been easy to fold in that moment, but the Rams didn’t shy away. They cranked up the energy on the attack, eventually leading to a foul on Volcano to set up a free kick for … Taylor Roskos.

From about the same distance as her opening goal, the Ram freshman stepped up for the kick.

Bending, bending, crossbar. Roskos’ shot just missed as the Rams crowd deflated once more. Are we headed to penalty kicks to decide the semifinal?

Luckily for the Ram faithful, as the ball ricocheted towards a scrum in front of the net, RR’s Smith remembered her mantra as a striker.

“Never give up and always go after that ball,” Smith said. “I always say to myself, ‘I want that ball.’”

She wanted it, she got it. After the Rosko deflection, Smith avoided both the Hawks’ keeper and defender in the area to put away a header of her own.

“At first, I was really upset (after the Hawks’ goal),” Smith said. “And I just thought to myself, ‘We need to score,’ and after we got that free kick, I knew I had to put this one in, and I was so thrilled when I saw that ball go in the back of the net.”

“I was anticipating us going to penalties,” Rosko said. “But thank goodness for Sophia for following my shot.”

With the away crowd now rocking and the home supporters stunned once again, the Rams were able to play keep-away until the final whistle blew. Ticket punched — the Rams are headed back to the final.

“Today was a battle,” Rams Head Coach Jenna Sievers said. “Both teams fought ‘til the final whistle. I’m incredibly proud of the team. They played hard and rallied.”

A freshman stepping up on the big stage. A sophomore with the winning goal in the closing minutes. An upset over the top-ranked seed. Is it magic? Is it talent? Is it hard work? Whatever it is, the Rams will need to bring it to the table one more time.

Rio Rancho and Eldorado are set for a 6 p.m. Friday matchup at the University of New Mexico, where the Rams will be going for their first state title since 2007.