On Tuesday afternoon, New Mexico Military Institute knocked off the No.1 seed Sandia Prep, 1-0, in the NMAA Class 3A Semifinal matchup. With the win, the Colts book a spot in the State Championship for the second consecutive year.

Early in the match both teams tried to take control but the ball moved from end to end as each side was able to create some opportunities but none that caused any fear for either keeper.

However, NMMI was able to separate themselves as they began to take control around the halfway point of the first half as they applied a press anytime a Sandia Prep player received the ball. In the 30th minute, Luis Molina had the first real opportunity with a shot inside the 18-yard box that went just wide of the goal.

As the Colts continued to attack the goal, they used the whole 40 minutes in the first half as they were able to score near the 39th minute when Luis Rodriguez Valencia took a shot from outside the 18-yard box and sailed over the keeper's head to score the eventual game winner for the Colts.

With a 1-0 lead to start the second half, the Colts settled down and played with more control as they dictated the flow early on as they controlled possession and forced a couple early saves by Sandia Prep.

Midway through the half the Sun Devils began to try and score as they sent forward extra attackers to try and equalize. The NMMI defense held strong and fought off every attacking opportunity that Sandia Prep attempted.

The Colts were able to get some late free kick opportunities of their own, but the attempts didn’t result in goals as the Colts held on to the 1-0 advantage to earn a spot in the 2024 State Championship match.

NMMI will return to the pitch on Friday Nov. 8 as they return to the NMMA Class 3A Championship as they take on Santa Fe Prep at the UNM Soccer Field in Albuquerque, NM with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m.