Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ROSWELL — The Portales Rams boys soccer team had a heartbreaker on Saturday afternoon, losing to district rival New Mexico Military Institute 1-0 in double overtime.
With the loss, Portales (10-9, 3-5) finished fourth in the A/4A District 4 standings and will now cross fingers ahead of the state tournament selection on Sunday.
“It was a battle,” Rams coach Nathan Dodge said of Saturday’s game at NMMI (7-10-1, 3-5). “We had more opportunities and more shots on goal — definitely more corner kicks. But unfortunately, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Heading into Saturday’s game, Portales had a one-game lead over NMMI for third place in the district. The Rams had just beaten NMMI at home on Thursday, 1-0, and had a chance to clinch third in the district with another win over the Colts on Saturday afternoon.
However, the game was scoreless through regulation and the first overtime, forcing a second overtime in yet another hard-fought battle between the two schools. Finally, NMMI’s Skylar Hatton knocked-in the game-winner off of a deflection.
Because the two teams tied in aggregate scoring, 1-1, over two matches, the next tie-breaker to determine third-place in the district was goals scored in district play. The Colts had the advantage over Portales in that category — 15-13, and hence, got the nod.
“The boys played hard all season,” Dodge said — still uncertain of his team’s playoff fate. “We had some injuries in the middle of the season, and that kind of hurt us. (However) we had some guys step up, and overall, it was a pretty decent season.”
Girls top Lovington 4-1 — The Portales Rams girls soccer team ended its regular season in style, as they beat Lovington on senior day, 4-1. The non-district win improves the Rams to 9-10 on the season, while Lovington falls to 5-14-1.
Portales’ Angie Gonzalez had two goals, while Lillie Saiz and Micaela Garcia had one apiece. Mikaela Garza, meanwhile added an assist. The Rams finished third overall in A/4A District 4 play, and will now wait and see if whether they made the 4A playoffs or not.
“I’m proud of the ladies,” Rams coach Ruben Tellez said. “Now it’s a waiting game to see if we qualified for state. We had good touches and passing. Overall, it was great to see my girls play their hearts out.”
