The Santa Fe High boys soccer team can't say it didn't face challenges in its first week of the 2024 season. After enduring temperatures in the high 90s Tuesday in a physical, intense match against Albuquerque High, the Demons were pushed to their physical limits once again Thursday, thanks to 100 minutes of soccer against another Class 5A contender in Albuquerque Volcano Vista. Santa Fe High had plenty of scoring chances in the second half before Cy Anderson recorded his first goal of the season, enough to secure a 1-all tie with the Hawks at Ivan Head Stadium.
It was a match the Demons (1-0-1) surely could have won in regulation, as it dominated play after halftime. What they couldn't do, however, is find the back of the net when opportunity arose. Twice in the first 20 minutes of the second half, they had shots bounce off the post, and several beautiful passes in the box could not be converted into goals.
As Volcano Vista (0-0-1) fended off those scoring chances, Santa Fe High didn't allow frustration to cloud their judgement. Instead, poise trumped emotion. "Our team felt very calm this game," Demons senior midfielder Evan Martinez said.
"No doubt, we wanted to win, but there is also no doubt that we are proud of the way we played." Santa Fe High finally broke through when Anderson broke free on a pass down the right wing and beat Volcano Vista goalkeeper Devin Eberle to slot his shot into the lower left of the goal in the 70th minute. It had been a frustrating start to the season for the senior striker, who had several scoring chances taken away from him against Albuquerque High.
He also just missed on a cross from Martinez in the 48th minute, as his shot from 10 yards sailed over the goal and left Anderson despondent. "That [right-footed] cross to Cy, he owes you for missing that," Santa Fe High head coach Chris Eadie told Martinez after the match. Martinez almost created his own storybook ending in overtime, as he took a pass from Luis Ruano after he stole the ball in the Hawks' third of the field and ripped a 35-yard shot that Eberle had to use all of his frame to deflect away to his left.
In the summer of 2023, Martinez broke his left leg in a scrimmage against the Hawks and missed all but the last two matches of the season. Martinez said the game plan going into the overtime was to take advantage of Eberle's penchant for venturing out of the penalty box and catch him flat-footed with long-range shots. "[Ruano], he hustled back, got that tackle and he laid it out for me and gave me a perfect chance to get a shot on target," Martinez said.
"The keeper did a good job of saving it, but if we get more shots like that, they're gonna go in." Santa Fe High hardly looked like the dominant team in the first half, as Volcano Vista used its quickness, especially in the midfield, to disrupt the Demons' passing and set itself up for quick counterattacks. That kept Santa Fe High sophomore goalie Grant Augustyn on his toes for much of the half.
He had five saves on shots and at times was on an island against Hawks shooters. "What he does really well is, he reads the play and he plays that sweeper keeper role really well," Eadie said. "He comes off his line well, he comes out with confidence and doesn't hesitate, and he clears [the ball] beautifully.
He doesn't mess around." The one chance Augustyn allowed through came on a defensive lapse. Volcano Vista midfielder Ben Yamato found and attacking Jovany Orona with a short pass 30 yards from the Demons goal, and Orona raced past the Santa Fe High backline for an easy shot to the lower left of the goal in the 38th minute.
However, the energy the Hawks showed in the first half dissipated as the match wore on, and Eadie said they looked like a team that was playing their first match of the season. "They started to play kickball, and that was a sign they were fatigued," Eadie said. "It's the first game for them, and it's as high level they could imagine a first game could be.
There was lots of quality play on both sides, but they tired and we continued to be able to push.".
