Sophomore Danae Lee scores twice as Rio Rancho girls soccer advances

Sophomore Danae Lee scored two goals on Thursday to lead Rio Rancho High School girls soccer past Roswell, 2-0. The victory secured a spot for the Rams in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NMAA State Soccer Championships.

The match took place at Rio Rancho High School. Rio Rancho entered the game as the sixth seed, while Roswell was the 11th seed. The Rams controlled the majority of the contest after the first 15 minutes. Lee opened the scoring midway through the first half with a long strike. The score remained 1-0 at halftime.

Roswell struggled to maintain possession in the first half. They found some success moving the ball into the attacking third only in the late stages of the first period. The Coyotes failed to generate shots on goal for much of the game. Rio Rancho continued to apply pressure in the second half. Lee added the decisive goal near stoppage time. A Roswell keeper failed to catch Lee's shot cleanly, and the ball rolled into the net to make the final score 2-0.

The Rams will face third-seeded La Cueva in the quarterfinals. The game is scheduled for Saturday at La Cueva High School. La Cueva defeated Los Lunas 7-1 on Thursday. The two teams have not met this season.

Cleveland High School girls soccer lost to Volcano Vista, 2-1, in the first round of the NMAA State Soccer Championships. The game was played at Volcano Vista High School on Thursday. Cleveland entered the match as the 16th seed. Volcano Vista was the top seed in the bracket.

Volcano Vista dominated time of possession throughout the game. The field effectively split in half as the Hawks rarely surrendered the ball. Cleveland seldom reached midfield. Rhyan Dooley scored for the Storm late in the first half on a counterattack. She finished one-on-one against the Volcano Vista goalkeeper to put Cleveland ahead 1-0.

The lead did not hold. Volcano Vista increased its pressure in the second half. Cleveland goalkeeper Brianna Fujihara made numerous diving saves and leaping stops. The Hawks scored twice in the second half to take the lead. The first goal went over Fujihara's outstretched hand. The second goal came in the final minutes after a deflected header found the net.

Volcano Vista allowed only 11 goals in its 17 regular season games. The Hawks lost only to Hope Christian, which beat them twice. Cleveland played Volcano Vista twice during the regular season. The Storm scored zero goals and allowed nine in those two contests.