Rams win a fall thriller despite a couple of scares

Thursday night fútbol at Rio Rancho High School did not disappoint.

The Rio Rancho High School girls soccer team (5-5) defeated Atrisco Heritage Academy (2-7) in extra time. The final: Rio Rancho 3, Atrisco 2.

The Rams came out dominating possession of the ball and ended the first half with eight shots on goal.

However, the fireworks came early in the second half when eighth grader Taylor Roskos scored on an outside shot in the 49th minute. Roskos finished with four outside shots on goal.

"I thought I would just cross it in. And, when it went in, I was just so happy! It defiantly boosted my shot confidence for sure," Roskos said. "It's great to have a win tonight."

In the 66th minute, freshman Tegan Chavez scored on a header for the Rams as it looked like a sealed win

But Atrisco was not finished. With less than 10 minutes left in the game, Atrisco scored on a half-field prayer shot (76th). Then, in the final minute of additional time, Atrisco's striker Britney Escober scored on a penalty kick, which sent the game to extra time.

However, Rio Rancho junior Kieara Trujillo-Garcia scored a walk-off header (84th) and secured a much needed "dub" for the Rams before they begin district play.

"I love my team for that right there. We never give up, and we are always there for each other," Trujillo-Garcia said after scoring the goal.

On Sept 25, the Rams will travel to Farmington (8-2) for a 6 p.m. district clash.

"I don't think we've peaked this season. We have a lot of young girls on the team, so we are building on that team chemistry, really just working on that cohesiveness," head coach Jenna Sievers said.