疯客直播 Fe High forward Kathy Arizmendi, front, scores against Manzano goalkeeper Mattie Espinosa during a 3-1 win Saturday at Ivan Head Stadium.聽Arizmendi exploited Espinosa tendencies to score three goals.
疯客直播 Fe High forward Kathy Arizmendi, center, celebrates with teammate Chloe Anaya, right, after scoring in the second half against Manzano on Saturday at Ivan Head Stadium. The Demons won 3-1.
疯客直播 Fe High forward Kathy Arizmendi, front, scores against Manzano goalkeeper Mattie Espinosa during a 3-1 win Saturday at Ivan Head Stadium.聽Arizmendi exploited Espinosa tendencies to score three goals.
疯客直播 Fe High forward Kathy Arizmendi, center, celebrates with teammate Chloe Anaya, right, after scoring in the second half against Manzano on Saturday at Ivan Head Stadium. The Demons won 3-1.
Like a shark that smells blood in the water, Kathy Arizmendi saw opportunity whenever Mattie Espinosa had to field a ball on the ground.
Arizmendi, 疯客直播 Fe High鈥檚 senior striker, noted Espinosa鈥檚 hands were not as strong handling passes or shots that were on the ground early in Saturday鈥檚 District 2-5A girls soccer match against Albuquerque Manzano. So, she was ready to pounce if and when Espinosa misplayed a ball in the Monarch鈥檚 penalty box.
That sharp eye led to a pair of goals that propelled her to her second straight hat trick and the Demons to a 3-1 win over the Monarchs at Ivan Head Stadium.
For a team that has dealt with a variety of injuries 鈥 the biggest being a season-ending leg injury to senior striker Laila Carter 鈥 Arizmendi鈥檚 arrival to the program after spending two years at Monte del Sol gave 疯客直播 Fe High a lifeline.
疯客直播 Fe High (9-3 overall, 2-0 in 2-5A) has had a half-dozen players injured or nursing injuries throughout the season, which prompted head coach Justin Najaka to call up junior varsity players at times during the past two weeks.
That depth was tested during the past eight days, as 疯客直播 Fe High played four games and won three of them. The one loss, a 3-0 decision to Los Lunas, happened when the Demons were missing three key players as well as Carter.
But Arizmendi isn鈥檛 one of the walking wounded, and she has eight goals in her last three matches and a team-high 15 on the season.
Arizmendi鈥檚 ball-tracking skills were on display on the go-ahead goal in the 30th minute. Midfielder Meliya Gharrity sent a pass into the penalty box from about 50 yards that took a couple of bounces toward Espinosa. However, she misjudged the second hop and the ball went off her knee as Arizmendi entered the picture.
She poked the ball away from the Manzano goalie and left-footed a shot into the open net for a 2-1 lead.
鈥淚t makes me more aggressive because I know no one is going to be there to pick up the trash,鈥 Arizmendi said. 鈥淪o, I might as well be there.鈥
She capped the hat trick in the 44th minute by again being in the right place at the right time. Gharrity floated a crossing pass off a corner kick from the northeast corner of the field, and the ball bounced around unattended. That鈥檚 when Arizmendi swooped in and ripped a shot to the upper right of the net for a 3-1 lead.
That capped a day in which Arizmendi was 3-for-6 on shots on frame as 疯客直播 Fe High controlled the match with 18 shots overall, and 15 on frame.
鈥淲e talked about not getting stuck in our defensive third [of the field],鈥 Najaka said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the worst for us. I mean, we鈥檙e strong, but we can鈥檛 get it out. I felt like we needed to keep the ball out of our defensive third and just spread them out so we could move the ball.鈥
If anything, the match highlighted the Demons鈥 two best options on offense 鈥 Arizmendi and midfielder Meliya Gharrity. While Arizmendi did the scoring, Gharrity recorded an assist.
That includes the Demons鈥 first goal, which tied the score at 1-all after Manzano (6-6, 0-2) scored in the fourth minute. This one went a more traditional route, as Gharrity sent a well-placed thru-ball down the left wing past the Monarchs back line. Arizmendi swooped in and beat Espinosa one-on-one in the 10th minute.
While Arizmendi has been dominant the past few matches, Najaka said she is unselfish with the ball and will look for her teammates when opportunities fail to present themselves. She has a team-best five assists as the Demons have 16.
鈥淎t the beginning of the season, we had her on the wing, and in club, she鈥檚 plays back on defense,鈥 Najaka said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had her up top as our striker, and she鈥檚 our leading scorer. So, that鈥檚 been working out.鈥
疯客直播 Fe High head into a crucial week having won five of its last six matches, but two huge tests arrive when the Demons travel to Albuquerque on Wednesday to play Eldorado, the No. 2 team in Class 5A in ’s rankings. Then comes a home match against No. 1 Albuquerque La Cueva on Saturday.
Those two matches will tell the Demons a lot about where they stand in the 5A pecking order.