Experienced PHS boys looking to turn corner

Portales High’s soccer boys are looking to turn the corner this season while the girls are also looking to improve with a new coaching staff.

Both teams open the new season at home, with the Lady Rams welcoming Las Vegas Robertson for a 3 p.m. encounter on Wednesday and both squads hosting Ruidoso at 11 a.m. (girls) and 1 p.m. (boys) on Saturday at Greyhound Stadium.

Girls – Laci Lozoya, who played at Eastern New Mexico University, is taking over for David Sweet and will be assisted by PHS alum Zoe Roy.

The Lady Rams (4-9-1, 0-6 District 4-4A last fall) return junior Lissette Gomez in goal for her third season. Others back include senior defender Belinda Garcia; her cousin, junior forward/midfielder Yulianna Garcia; junior forward Maria Lujan, junior midfielder Belle McNulty, junior defender Chiara Gard and sophomore forward Addyson Mayberry.

PHS scored just 15 goals last season, including nine by Lujan.

Lozoya said the team participated in a summer camp at Fort Lewis College in Colorado over the summer, and hopes to carry over what it learned to the season.

“We’re just trying to build on what (the camp instructors) taught them,” Lozoya said. “We’re hoping to be a lot better this year.

“They’ve got a great attitude. We’re definitely going to di a kit if repetitions and working on fundamentals.”

Lozoya said the Lady Rams plan to field a junior varsity squad for the first time in a few years.

Boys – With a senior-dominated roster, second-year Rams coach Dustin Harden expects a big turnaround after the team went 2-12-1 (1-5 district) last fall.

“We had a really great summer,” Harden said. “We look really solid this year, and I expect really good things.”

The one area where PHS lost its mainstay is goalkeeper. Junior Ethan Najara is slated to move up from the junior varsity and into that position.

Seniors back are forwards Anthony Cordova, Alister McCasland and Elijah Tellez; defenders Daniel Hay, Morgan Novac, Adrian Lucero, Ivan Salomon, Eagan Reeded and Thomas Villalobos; midfielder Jackson Baca and forward/midfielder Gabriel Duran.

Harden said he’s hopeful that this is just the start of bigger things for his program.

“We’ve got a lot of good things coming,” he said. “We’ve got a full schedule this year, so it should be a lot of fun.”