Soccer and volleyball squads get final tune-ups before district seasons begin

FARMINGTON — Local high school soccer and volleyball teams are preparing for the start of district campaigns with final tune-ups this week.

The Kirtland Central girls soccer team is in the midst of a 4-game win streak after a dramatic overtime win over Rehoboth Christian in the Broncos non-district finale, while Aztec's volleyball team rallied to beat Thoreau 3 games to 1, snapping a 2-match losing streak.

Here's a roundup from action on the field and the court from earlier this week.

Boys soccer

FARMINGTON 5, Bloomfield 0

Jesus Flores scored a pair of goals, leading the Farmington boys soccer team to a 5-0 shutout victory at home over Bloomfield.

Colton Lincoln, Luis Palma and C.J. Toledo added goals for the Scorpions in the win while goalkeeper Luc Djaman came away with the clean sheet, saving all four shots made his way.

Flores, the second leading scorer on the team, now has four goals this season, just one behind teammate Andy Erickson.

The Scorpions improve their record to 3-4-1 on the season and will be at home Saturday at 11 a.m. to face Hope Christian.

MONTEZUMA-CORTEZ 6, Kirtland Central 5

Tied at 2 at the end of the first half, Montezuma-Cortez boys soccer team outscored Kirtland Central 4-3 in a wild second half to come away with a hard-fought 6-5 victory at home over the Broncos. 

For the Panthers, it's their first win of the season after dropping their first six matches. The Broncos (3-9), coached by Leonel Camacho, have lost six of their last seven and will be in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. at home to open the district season against Miyamura.

Girls soccer

KIRTLAND CENTRAL 2, Rehoboth Christian 1 (OT)

The Kirtland Central girls soccer team fought out a 2-1 overtime win at home Wednesday over Rehoboth Christian in their final non-district match of the season.

The Broncos and Lynx were tied at 1 each after the first two halves before Sydney Smith scored the game winner six minutes into the overtime session.

"It was a huge battle for us," said coach Eric Hooper after the win. "Another tough, grinding victory, but I'm real proud of where we are coming into the district schedule."

Jessina Garcia scored the first goal for the Broncos, giving them a 1-0 lead at the half before Rehoboth Christian tied the game with a second half goal.

Marissa Henry picked up a pair of assists in the win, which improves Kirtland Central's record to 6-4-1 and riding a four game win streak into the district campaign, which begins Tuesday on the road at Miyamura.

RIO RANCHO 4, Piedra Vista 0

The Rio Rancho girls soccer team scored twice in both the first and second half on their way to a 4-0 shutout win Thursday at Piedra Vista.

The Rams improved their record to 8-3 on the season, while the loss for the Panthers drops their overall record to 4-4-1. 

Piedra Vista will open district play Tuesday at 3 p.m. at home when they face Eldorado.

Volleyball

DURANGO 3, Piedra Vista 0

Junior Mason Rowland led Durango with 10 kills and 21 attack attempts as the Demons volleyball team swept past Piedra Vista 3-0 at the Jerry A. Conner Fieldhouse. 

Durango won the match with final scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-12 and improved their record to 3-3 on the season.

The Demons were also led by sophomore Riley Engle and junior Leah Wolf, who each contributed with six kills in the match.

Piedra Vista (4-6) has lost their last pair and will be back in action Tuesday at 4 p.m. as they visit Kirtland Central.

AZTEC 3, Thoreau 1

Junior Nizoni Yellow served up seven aces and recorded seven kills Tuesday night as the Aztec Tigers volleyball team outscored Thoreau by a final of 3 games to 1.

Aztec lost the first game 25-18, then roared back to win the next three, 25-22, 25-18 and 25-21 to record the victory, improving their record on the season, improving their record to 3-4 and ending a two-match losing streak.

Yellow is the team leader in kills this season, with 50, while she and teammate Madison Edwards are among the leaders with aces this season. Edwards has 21 service aces to Yellow's 16.

MONTEZUMA-CORTEZ 3, Bloomfield 1

After dropping the first game 25-23, the Montezuma-Cortez volleyball team rallied and recorded a 3 games to 1 victory at home over Bloomfield on Tuesday night.

The Panthers outscored Bloomfield 25-21, 25-18 and 25-9 to win the match and improve their record this season to 5-2, snapping a two-match losing streak.

Bloomfield was led by Samantha Overson, who recorded 11 kills in the match. It's Overson's third match this season with 10 or more kills, as she leads the team this season with 58.

The Bobcats fall to 2-4 on the season and will be at home Saturday at 11 a.m. to face Escalante.

Steve Bortstein can be reached via email at SBortstein@Gannett.com, via Twitter @DTSBortstein or on the phone at (505) 635-2680