Eliason scores twice to lift Rams past Las Vegas, into Northeast driver’s seat

Rancho’s girls soccer team went into Tuesday’s home finale against rival Las Vegas High with a “must-win” mentality.

On a day when the Rams honored their 10 seniors, freshman Chanel Eliason took control of the team’s destiny.

Eliason had two goals to lead Rancho to a 3-1 win over the Wildcats, giving the Rams the inside track on the Northeast League’s No. 1 seed for next week’s Sunrise Region playoffs.

“She’s a phenomenal freshman,” Rancho coach John Besancon said of Eliason. “Never say die; she doesn’t stop running, doesn’t quit, and does it with a smile.”

Eliason gave the Rams (10-3-4, 10-1-2 Northeast) the lead five minutes into the match, taking a pass from Cindy Hernandez on the right side of the box and burying the ball into the back of the net.

But Las Vegas (11-3-3, 10-1-2) countered seven minutes later when Consuelo Cabrera dipped a ball under the crossbar and into the upper-right corner of the goal.

In the 33rd minute, Rancho’s Megan Aoyama dribbled into the left corner of the field before glancing the ball of her back heel and ripping a cross into the penalty box, where Ashley Labarre redirected it home for the eventual match-winning goal.

Rancho outshot the Wildcats 21-9, including an 11-4 margin in shots on goal. The Rams peppered Las Vegas goalkeeper Allie Hammer in the second half with six shots on goal, including the match-sealing score in the 43rd minute.

Stephanie Apodaca sprinted down the right sideline with the ball, then drove a shot that was tipped into the near post and stopped a few feet shy of the goal before an opportunistic Eliason gave the final touch to send Rancho into a tie for first place in the Northeast.

“You’ve got to follow every shot,” said Besancon, whose team tied Las Vegas 0-0 in the first meeting. “We talked about that after the last game. We had to follow every shot, and they came through with that tonight. And they kept pressure on their keeper.”

Rancho will clinch the league’s top playoff berth with a win over Desert Pines on Thursday, a loss by Las Vegas to Canyon Springs, or if both Rancho and Las Vegas tie on the season’s final day.

The Jaguars handed the Rams their only league loss this year, a 1-0 defeat on Jan. 25.

“It’s a confidence booster heading into Thursday’s game against Desert Pines, and heading into the playoffs,” Besancon said of the victory. “It’s a motivator to keep on going. The game wasn’t perfect, though; we still have things to work on.”