Late goals lift Broncos over Bobcats

• Yosmar Ruiz recorded three goals in the first half to propel Farmington past Miyamura 5-0.
• Aztec rolled over Gallup 10-0 behind a four-goal performance from Riley Barber.

FARMINGTON — The Bloomfield and Kirtland Central boys soccer teams battled back and forth for the first 65 minutes of the match, but in the final 15 minutes, the Broncos found the back of the net three times to pick up a 4-0 win tonight at Bronco Stadium in Kirtland.

“We did a really good job of creating opportunities. It was a 1-0 game until the last 15 minutes,” Bloomfield coach Scott Reid said. “We were pushing for that goal and had a couple opportunities in the first and second half we couldn’t finish on. Kirtland (Central) got three quick goals in the last 15 minutes, but the first 65 minutes were really exciting and fun to watch.”

Through the first half, KC (8-8, 4-5 District 1-5A) struggled to find openings, and Broncos coach Noel Camacho said the majority of the team’s issues stemmed from a lack of mental toughness.

“The boys started slow and weren’t playing like they’re supposed to be, and that’s just a mental thing,” Camacho said. “I got on them a little bit at halftime and told them what could happen if they didn’t get going, and they woke up in the second half.”

KC got goals from Isaiah Goodson, Marco Camacho, Ross West and Colten Warner.

Reid said the late scoring spree from KC wasn’t the fault of any individual players of the Bobcats’ defense, just great runs and passes from the Broncos.

KC and Bloomfield (2-16-1, 2-7) will close out the regular season on Thursday.

KC, which is vying for a spot in the 5A state tournament, will play at Gallup (0-17, 0-9).

Bloomfield will host Farmington (10-7-1, 8-0-1) and is looking to end the season on a high note the team can carry into next season.

“We’re only losing two seniors. I had 32 kids come out this season, so right now, we’re evaluating for next year,” Reid said. “I want them to give me everything they have and show me they want to be on the field next year.”

Farmington 5, Miyamura 0

After a settling for a tie last week against Aztec, the Farmington boys soccer team picked up a 5-0 win over Miyamura (5-12-1, 5-4) tonight in Gallup.

“I think having the weekend off and finally getting their legs back under them after a grueling stretch the last two weeks helped,” Farmington coach Byron Farnsworth said. “The boys were very efficient today. We were able to do some things and work on some stuff we needed to worked on today.”

Yosmar Ruiz scored three goals in the first half to pace the Scorps. Nate Benson and Angel Garcia rounded out the scoring for Farmington.

Farmington will close out its district schedule and look to close earn the District 1-5A title outright on Thursday when the Scorps travel to Bloomfield to play the Bobcats (2-16-1, 2-7).

Aztec 10, Gallup 0

The Aztec boys soccer team (9-7-2, 7-1-1) didn’t have any trouble against Gallup (0-17, 0-9), dispatching the Bengals 10-0 tonight at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium in Aztec.

“The ball was pretty much on our offensive end of the field the whole game,” Aztec coach Stephen Parks said. “I rotated a bunch of guys in and got everyone some playing time, and they all played well. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep up the intensity in a game like that, but they played well and stayed focused.”

Riley Barber paced the Tigers’ offense with four goals and one assist. Ruben Teasyatwho added two goals from his defensive midfield position, scoring one on a penalty kick and the other on a Barber assist. Pedro Lucero, Sam Parks, Francisco Villegas and Juan Varges rounded out the scoring for Aztec.

Aztec will close out the regular season on Thursday when the Tigers host Miyamura (5-12-1, 5-4).

Karl Schneider is the sports editor for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4648.