PV boys upend seven-time defending champions

ALBUQUERQUE, Nov 06, 2009 (The Daily Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ZZFNV | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- For the past 16 seasons, a matchup against the St. Pius boys soccer team in the earlier rounds of the state tournament meant certain defeat.

That is, until the Piedra Vista Panthers showed up Thursday at the APS Soccer Complex.

PV overcame a 2-0 first-half deficit, tying the game on Jesse Wood's penalty kick in the waning moments of regulation, and Devin Santillanes took a pass from Matt McKinney for the game-winning goal in double overtime to snap the Sartans' streak of seven straight Class 4A state titles, as well as a streak of consecutive state title game appearances that stretched to 1993.

"It was maybe a 40-yard pass from Matt McKinney -- a beautiful pass," Panthers coach Carlos Yllescas said after the thrilling victory. "The ball went over the defenders, Devin Santillanes got the ball outside the box and he put a nice touch on it. That was the goal. Over. 3-2. That was amazing. It's a huge win. (St. Pius) had never lost a game in the quarterfinals -- ever."

Things turned ugly in the aftermath of Santillanes' goal, as the Sartans showed their frustration and a confrontation ensued on the field after a physical game. Cooler heads eventually prevailed, allowing the Panthers to savor the biggest victory in their program's short but successful history.

St. Pius (16-5, 0-1 postseason) scored a pair of goals within the first 25 minutes of the contest, putting PV (16-6, 2-0) in a precarious spot. However, a free kick late in the first

half was headed in by Panthers senior captain Andy Moore to cut the deficit to one goal -- a huge momentum shift, according to Yllescas.

"That goal brought us up," Yllescas said. "We were like, OK, we can do this.'"

The Panthers carried that momentum over into the second half, putting the Sartans back on their heels as PV's offense started to click. St. Pius came on later in the half to make the game a bit more even, but a late breakaway by the Panthers' Alejandro Munoz ultimately led to Wood's game-tying PK.

Standing between Piedra Vista and its first-ever berth in the Class 4A state championship game is today's semifinal matchup against fifth-seeded Los Alamos at 11 a.m. The Panthers lost a pair of heartbreaking matches to the Hilltoppers early in the season, with a 4-3 loss on Aug. 29 and a 1-0 defeat on Oct. 2. The Panthers will be without leading scorer Shane Woodson, who received a pair of yellow cards against the Sartans and thus is required to miss his team's next game.

"I think we're still in the clouds, but we need to come back (today) and come back to our game," Yllescas said. "It will be a little different because we don't have Woodson, so we'll have to make a new plan. (Thursday) was a big win and it helped us a lot, but we need to find a way to come back (today) and focus on the next big game."

No. 3 Farmington 3,

No. 6 Belen 2

Riley McGovern, CJ Klepac and Presley Paxson scored to lead FHS (17-3, 1-0 postseason) into the state semifinals, as the Scorpions fought off a fierce battle from the Eagles (15-7, 1-1).

"The guys showed a lot of heart and played hard," Scorps coach Pete Rankin said. "We didn't play our best game of the year, but they pulled it out."

Farmington faces second-seeded Albuquerque Academy today at 11 a.m., with the winner advancing to play either Los Alamos or Piedra Vista in Saturday's state championship game. The Scorps beat the Chargers 3-0 on Oct. 16 in their only meeting this season, though Rankin and his team know they've got a lot to improve on from Thursday's win.

"We've got to do a better job keeping the ball," Rankin said. "I don't what it was -- jitters of a first game or being out there on a new field with new dimensions -- but we didn't possess as well as we usually do, and we had a few mental errors in the defense. We've got to do a better job in those two areas, but our guys showed a lot of heart, hung in there and pulled it out."

Class 1A-3A

No. 1 Sandia Prep 5,

No. 9 Bloomfield 0

The Bobcats (14-7, 1-1 postseason) couldn't find an answer for the top-seeded Sundevils (14-7, 1-0) on Thursday at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, as Bloomfield saw its seven-game winning streak snapped.

"We were able to keep up with them in the first half, but their bench was a lot deeper than ours and we ran out of steam in the second half," Bloomfield coach Jarly Lopez said. "We had a good season throughout, and hopefully it will continue on to next year in (Class) 4A."

Sandia Prep's five-goal output was the most Bloomfield allowed to a fellow Class 1A-3A opponent all season, and was the most any team scored against the Bobcats since Class 4A semifinalist Piedra Vista posted an 8-0 win over BHS on Sept. 15.

GIRLS

Class 4A

No. 1 Abq. Academy 2,

No. 8 Aztec 0

The Lady Tigers (12-10, 1-1 postseason) showed well Thursday against 4A's No. 1 team.

Aztec allowed a fluke goal in the first half and gave up another that clanked into the net off the far post halfway through the second half.

"We hung right there with the No. 1 team in the state. I didn't think they were overwhelmingly better than us. We made it a good game for them," said coach Stephen Parks, who noted the other three quarterfinals were decided by three goals or more.

"It wasn't like everybody was laying on the ground crying with their heads hanging down. They were encouraged by the way they came out and showed they can play with that team."

Parks said Academy's first goal was unfortunate and normally wouldn't get past the Tigers. They played Academy close and had a few opportunities to score themselves.

The man that runs Aztec's team camp coaches a club team in Albuquerque that includes two-thirds of Academy's roster. He sat with the parents during the game and told Parks they were nervous.

"They were all hoping they wouldn't have to play a tough first game, and then after the game they were like, Holy cow.'" Parks said. "The girls were like, Man, I'm sore, I'm tired.' It wasn't just a walk game for them."

The Tigers lose two seniors, including keeper Addison Woods, but return a large group of juniors that has Parks excited about next season. Aztec will start their third keeper in three years, but felt encouraged about their playoff performance.

They finished second in District 1-4A, including a 2-1 win over district champ Farmington, and expect a similar challenge next year.

"The competition level is going to continue to be good in our district," Parks said. "We're going to continue to show well at state, I think, over the next few years."

Class 1A-3A

No. 2 St. Michael's 6,

No. 7 Bloomfield 1

The Lady Bobcats (13-9, 1-1 postseason) exploited a lackluster start by their opponent before fading after halftime.

Bloomfield's Taree Matchulat scored the game's first goal on a long ball from midfield. St. Michael's rolled to a four-goal second half but held a 2-1 advantage after 40 minutes.

"They weren't ready for us at the beginning. They were very frustrated," coach Kelsey Hatch said. "We started off the season rocky, so to be at this point, it was really good."

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