Aztec Girls Soccer: Leftovers

Aztec's girls played their first soccer game at the Aztec Lady Tigers Soccer Complex on Friday.

A quick take on the facility:

The Facility: B+

Junior midfielder Hailee Ammons said the field ranks between Lydia Rippey Elementary School and the football field at Koogler Junior High.

I overheard Rio Rancho coach Uwe Balzis ask his players what they thought of the pitch and they gave him a thumb's up.

The View: A

The facility is raised on a plateau. You can see the southern edge of the San Juans well. The view also afforded fans a look at a lazy storm Friday, with a few spectacular, sparse lightning strikes miles away.

If the grass takes and starts turning green it will be fabulous from an aesthetic standpoint.

Practice Logistics: A

The girls no longer share a tiny playground field with the boys team and stray kids at recess. The elementary school field had fixed goals.

The complex has two fields with breathing space in between, allowing the team to roam, not wear down the grass, choose their own hours and spread out.

*****

Aztec has speed but the gap in skill between their players and Rio Rancho was big.

Balzis, an accomplished player in his own right, engaged his bench in an intellectual, insightful monologue as the game progressed. He's no typical volunteer coach, and it showed with the organization, acumen and communication of his players.

The Tigers do have a young roster, with two seniors and the bulk of their starters juniors.

Senior fullback Brittany Burns drew a yellow card in the 9th minute. I'm not sure why. It happened away from the action and I didn't see anybody on the ground.

Rio Rancho freshman Solana Cappello came close to a yellow herself for getting rough with an Aztec player behind the action twice. She gave the official what could only be described as a disgusted look as he told her sternly that if she did it again he would card her.

The crowd at Friday's game was solid, especially for a girls' soccer match on a weeknight.

*****

Some other numbers:

Shots: Rio Rancho 22, Aztec 1
Shots on goal: Rio Rancho 12, Aztec 0
Fouls: Rio Rancho 5, Aztec 4
Offsides: Rio Ranco 0, Aztec 0
Corner Kicks: Rio Rancho 2, Aztec 1

Goals: Deanna Lucero, 10th minute (header off a corner kick); Jennifer George, 43rd minute (off an assist); Lucero, 45th minute (powerful shot that deflected off an Aztec defender); Melissa Moxley, 55th minute (intended to be a cross but found the bottom right corner of the net); Lucero, 58th minute (free kick over the goalkeeper); Santana Orozco, 79th minute (1-on-1 with the goalie).