ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The one-seeded Volcano Vista Hawks defeated the three-seeded La Cueva Bears, 1-0, to capture the Girls Class 5A State Championship.

It’s the first state title for the Hawks since 2019. They finished the year with a 19-2-2 record.

This was a defensive game for much of the contest until the 64th minute when junior midfielder Trinity Atma scored to put the Hawks up 1-0.

“I’m feeling high, excited, I’m really just glad we finally won this. We worked hard for it all season long”, said Atma.

This was also the first state title for head coach Ashley Nieder who expressed her excitement and emotions after the game.

“Oh my gosh, I’m on top of the world right now and feeling on cloud nine and so stinking proud of my girls”, said Nieder.