NMMI Sports Press
The New Mexico Military Institute Colt soccer team won their semifinal state playoff match, clipping the Robertson Cardinals, 3-1.
Playing at Stapp Field on the NMMI campus, the No. 3 Cards and No. 2 Colts battled to a 0-0 standstill over the first 20 minutes.
NMMI broke the stalemate the same way they did against Hatch in the quarterfinals, with a penalty kick converted by senior midfielder David Portugal. After some fancy dribbling through a pair of Cardinal fullbacks, Portugal had a 1-on-1 with the Robertson keeper, but was tripped from behind, resulting in the foul and free kick.
The Institute managed one more goal with about five minutes left in the first half. This time Portugal had the assist, with a long-range set-up shot – about 10 yards inside of midfield – after another Robertson foul had stopped play. Junior halfback Javier Lepiz got the goal on a header which glanced off the left post and into the goal.
The Colts struck once more before the Cards could get on the scoreboard, that goal coming about halfway through the final period on a corner kick. Senior striker Daniel De Rueda made the inlet pass, and senior halfback Humberto Valdes finished it off with header into the right side.
Robertson’s lone goal of the game came with less than three minutes left to play: a tripping call just inside the penalty box gave Cardinal senior Christian Larranaga a penalty shot which he made to break the shutout.
The win advances the Colts to the NMAA’s Class A-3A State Championship match, which will be held this Friday at 6:30 pm in Albuquerque at the UNM Soccer Complex. NMMI will take on the top-seeded Sundevils, as Sandia Prep outlasted their semifinal opponent, No. 4 Rehoboth Christian, 2-1, in the other half of the bracket.
“I think we started a little nervous tonight,” said NMMI head coach John Barbour about the early part of the contest. “We were pressing the ball too far forward at the beginning of the game, just being too quick and trying to force it. But once we got that first goal, we settled down then were able to strike twice more.”
“We’ve got two red trophies since I’ve been here,” said Barbour about his team’s two previous tilts in the state championship title match in 2019 and 2021, where they finished just short. “This is just a great group of kids that are playing hard, playing their heart’s out each and every game. It’s time to put a blue trophy in the cabinet.”