Journal Staff Reports
ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY 2, LOS ALAMOS 0: At the Academy, behind two goals from Kai Gehres, the second-seeded Chargers (17-4-1) deflated No. 3 Los Alamos (15-6-1) and will return to the championship.
“We were there last year and obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted,” Gehres said. “But we’re excited to have another shot back there.”
Academy, which has not won a title since 2018, is looking for its 12th state championship. The Chargers will play undefeated Hope Christian, which has won the past three titles.
“They’ve got a lot of quality,” Chargers coach Andrew Wiese said of Hope. “They’re a very technical team. Well organized. For us, it’s just a matter of making sure we win our one versus one duels and if we can do that, we have a chance.”
The Huskies won the two meetings this season 3-0 and 1-0, but Wiese is confident Academy has the answer this time around.
“For us with Hope, we know we’ve got to be tight on them,” he said. “We’ve got to make it a physical contest. We’ve got to take our chances when they come. We’ve closed the gap on them between the two games. We’re doing a few different things tactically and it gives us a chance to competitive. And we’ve got be good about finishing.”
Gehres helped make a rematch happen, finishing off a feed from Amelia Barnes seconds before halftime against Los Alamos. Then she added a touch of insurance in the 76th minute, volleying a pinpoint cross from Isabella Barnes.
“I was on the right side and it got played to Amelia and I thought she was going to shoot it, but she laid it back to me and I just hit into the goal,” she said.
On the second goal, “That was a really great ball,” Gehres said. “I made sure to put myself in space and just knew that I could one-touch it because I didn’t have time for anything else, but that was a great ball by Izzy.”
—Glen Rosales
