Sunrise Mountain, Chaparral Reach 4A Soccer State Final

Sunrise Mountain and Chaparral will meet Saturday for the Class 4A boys soccer state title after both teams advanced from the semifinals played Thursday at Spring Valley.

The Miners, the Lake League No. 1 seed, defeated Cimarron-Memorial, the Sky League No. 4 seed, by a score of 4-1. The Cowboys, the Lake League No. 4 seed, beat Green Valley, the Desert League No. 3 seed, 2-1 in overtime.

Sunrise Mountain enters the final with a 12-2-3 record. The team is seeking its fourth boys soccer state championship and aims to become back-to-back champions after winning the title last year. Chaparral enters the match with a 14-5-10 record.

The semifinal at Spring Valley on Thursday ended in a shootout of sorts for the Miners. Sunrise Mountain took a 2-0 lead late in the first half. Senior forward Victor Requenez-Cisneros scored with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Dylan Acosta added another goal nearly six minutes later.

Cimarron-Memorial, which holds a 12-10-1 record, cut the deficit to 2-1 just before halftime. Gianni Parada struck a free kick from nearly 30 yards out as the first half whistle sounded. The momentum shift worried Sunrise Mountain coach Anthony Munoz.

"Being up 2-0, it's kind of a gift and a curse because at the end of the day, if a team scores on you, the momentum shifts and it could be 2-2 at the end of it," Munoz said. "It was a little nerve-racking, but at the same time, we were letting the boys know to stay calm and we still got another 40 minutes to put this away."

The Miners held a one-goal lead throughout the second half. Goalie Jesus Morales made two stops with five minutes left to keep the score at 3-1. The game concluded with two goals in stoppage time. Sophomore Juan Rodriguez outran the Cimarron-Memorial defense to score on a long pass. Requenez-Cisneros then converted a penalty kick to seal the victory.

"It feels good. We put in a lot of dedication in that since we were state champs from last year," Requenez-Cisneros said. "We knew that every team is going to give it their all to make us lose. But we stood our ground and took advantage of it."

Chaparral's path to the final required overtime. The Cowboys led 1-0 after Skander Herrera scored midway through the first half. Green Valley, which has a 12-5-4 record, tied the game in the final moments of stoppage time. Amilcar Cipili headed the ball in to force extra time.

Chaparral coach Alex Ruiz noted that his team had faced challenges earlier in the season. "These boys have been through a lot during the season, so I felt like these boys were built for that moment," Ruiz said. "It's a surreal feeling. It's something that we've dreamed about not only since the season started but since these boys got into high school, ever since they got on the varsity squad."

Herrera provided the decisive play in overtime. A foul in the box resulted in a penalty kick. Herrera hesitated on the approach before striking the ball. The Cowboys rushed to the corner to celebrate the goal-winning score.

"I felt nerves," Herrera said. "I was nervous during the penalty, but before I took it, I took a big, deep breath, made sure everything was good, mentality was good and took the penalty and scored. I felt good that I could help my team make the state finals."