PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ELDORADO GIRLS SOCCER PROGRAM / TAKEN BY MILTON LAU SPORTS

RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO- Our final candidates for the New Mexico Girls Soccer Player of the Year (no order). If you notice, they’re 12 candidates instead of our usual 10. Well, that’s because for the first time in CPS history, we had a three-way tie for our final spot (based on votes from our panel). I think that is a testament to the talent in this state.

Each athlete who made the cut is listed below along with some stats, and some insight courtesy of their respective head coaches. Thank you to all the coaches who made this happen  and thank you to Transcend for continuing to support New Mexico athletes.

DISCLAIMER: we are not affiliated/associated with Gatorade or the GPOY voting committee, this list was done by a panel at our independent sports outlet, CPS. 

Without further ado…

1. Eldorado Emma Gurule (senior)-

STATS: 33 goals & 8 assists. 

“Emma Gurule is a great goal scorer and talented striker. She is very strong on the ball and has the talent and ability to score in the biggest moments. She was the leading scorer in district 2-5A, has our lone goal in the state semi final to beat La Cueva 1-0 and scored our second goal in the state final.”- Eldorado head coach Aaron Forrester.

2. Hope Christian’s Bryson Fankam (junior)-

STATS: 27 goals & 15 assists.

“I’ve never coached a player, or played against a player that loves the game the way Bryson does. Every practice, every game, anything that will help the team win, you can count on her to do it. She goes into every tackle and plays with unmatched physicality and  passion.”- Hope Christian head coach Amy Fankam.

3. Las Cruces’ Raylene Carillo (senior)-

STATS: 40 goals & 7 assists.

“Ray has been an absolute beast on and off the field! She has been one of the leading scorers each of her four years playing for LCHS. She also excels at several other sports and organizations within LCHS. This year she scored her 150th goal and ended her high school career with 153 goals. LCHS was definitely better with her here.” Las Cruces head coach Chris Carillo.  

4. Rio Rancho’s Sophia Smith (sophomore)- 

STATS: 14 goals & 12 assists. 

“Sophia has incredible speed and has great skill on the ball. She also has a real love for the game. Her relentless pressure up top makes her a constant problem for opponents, and her energy is contagious. She works hard, competes every day, and has a genuine joy for the game. She was vital to our team’s success, driving momentum, creating chances, and motivating her teammates with her effort and energy.”- Rio Rancho head coach Jenna Sievers.

5. Hope Christian’s Brooklyn Fankam (freshman)-

STATS: 34 goals & 16 assists.

“Brooklyn has become an elite goal scorer,  arguably the best in the state. She has lead the district in goals for the past two years (8th grade, freshman years). She has scored in 19 of the past 23 games.”- Hope Christian head coach Amy Fankam.

6. Albuquerque Academy’s Sophia Hasse (senior)-

STATS: 79 saves, 12 shutouts & 40% PK save rate.

“Sophia Hasse was hands down the best goalkeeper in the state, this season. She’s the bravest keeper I’ve ever coached and her shot-stopping ability is exceptional, especially in one one-on-one situations. Sophia was our rock this year, anchoring our defense, and routinely made critical saves for us in big games that kept us in a position to win. We wouldn’t have had the success we had this year without her.” – Albuquerque Academy head coach Andrew Wiese.

7. Albuquerque Academy’s Cambria Tero (junior)-

STATS: 18 goals & 21 assists.

“Cambria Tero was our team’s creative engine this year. Her exceptional vision and understanding of the game helped drive our offense with her uncanny ability to find the right pass in right moment to unlock the opponent’s defense. This, along with her drive and competitiveness, especially against our toughest opponents, allowed her to change the game in the blink of an eye and helped push us all the way through to the State Finals.”- Albuquerque Academy’s head coach Andrew Wiese. 

8. St. Pius X’s Vanessa Cichy (junior)-

STATS: 41 goals & 12 assists.

“Vanessa is an elite attacking soccer player and has been a key member of our Pius program since day one. She has an incredible mix of athleticism, intelligence, and drive. The ceiling for her is extremely high.” – St. Pius X head coach Nick Madrid. 

9. Hope Christian’s Hailey Sanchez (senior)-

STATS: 9 goals, 9 assists & 19 shutouts.

“Hailey is such a diverse player. She played center back, outside back and forward for us this season. It is invaluable to have a player like Hailey that can score a goal, and prevent the other team from scoring in the same game. She also brings an intensity that coaches dream of. Hailey has been a district and state champion is all 5 of her high school seasons.”- Hope Christian head coach Amy Fankam.

10.  Eldorado’s Aliya Nivanh (senior)-

STATS: 8 goals, 11 assists & 16 shutouts. 

“Aliya Nivanh is a very talented and driven midfield player. She was the heart of our team in the middle of the field this year. She was often the catalyst for our team when we were facing adversity and needed to change the momentum in the game.  She scored a terrific goal in the state final against Rio Rancho and got us up early in the game and set the tone for our team to win the state championship.”- Eldorado head coach Aaron Forrester.

11. Hope Christian’s Maddy James (freshman)-

STATS: 8 goals against, 19 shutouts & 48 saves.  

“Maddy makes unbelievable saves, look easy. She is the most athletic keeper, and probably soccer player in the state of New Mexico. Maddy only conceded against 3 teams the entire season. She continues to lead the state with fewest goals against, and we expect this to continue throughout her career.” – Hope Christian head coach Amy Fankam.

12. St. Michael’s Sophia Miera (senior)-

STATS: 61 goals & 36 assists. Both marks led the state.  

“Let me begin by saying that Sophia has been the leader of our soccer program over the past couple seasons. She was instrumental for St Michael’s High School winning the state championship this year. While soccer is, of course, a team sport-and many of Sophia’s accomplishments are supported by the dedication and talent of her teammates- her individual impact has been truly extraordinary. Sophia is the all-time leading scorer in St Michael’s history and very likely set records at the state level in New Mexico.What does that mean for us? It means that having Sopha in our program has been an incredible privilege. She joined us four years ago and quickly adapted to our culture, our standards and our style of play. Over the last couple seasons she has served as a mentor to younger players and a role model for the entire team. Technically, she is exceptional. She possesses a strong, powerful shot, excellent finishing ability, and an outstanding work ethic in training. We are deeply honored to have had Sophia as a part of our program, and we are extremely grateful to have achieved a state championship alongside her remarkable performance during the state tournament. Her legacy at St Michael’s will be felt for many years to come.” – St. Michael’s head coach Alfonso Camarena.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: La Cueva’s Kadyn Begay, Hope Christian’s Mechi Garbarino, Volcano Vista’s Lara Shelle, Bosque’s Layla Chimenti, La Cueva’s Makena Hix & Los Alamos’ Margaret Steinkamp, Cleveland’s Aliyah C’deBaca & St. Pius X’s Maddi Garcia.

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