Ramirez locks up League MVP, 1st-Team All-State
ELKO — A year after missing her junior season due to a torn ACL in the summer of 2022, Elko senior Abi Ramirez locked down the Division 3A North-East MVP — adding 1st-Team All-North and a 1st-Team selections at forward.
As a sophomore, Ramirez tied for the league high in goals scored with 22 — splitting second in the 3A North-East with 50 points after dishing six assists.
Coming off a missed campaign while she rehabbed her knee, Ramirez did not miss a beat in her final season — leading the Lady Indians to their first trip to state since 2011 — topping the league with 24 assists.
She shared the league lead with sophomore Brielle Cooper with 84 total points, Ramirez adding 30 goals — second in the 3A North-East to Cooper’s 36 goals — tying for fourth in the state in total points and assists and splitting sixth in the state in goals scored.
As a team, East No. 1 Elko posted a 20-5-2 overall record and a 17-1 mark in the 3A North-East — advancing to state with a 2-0 shutout of West No. 2 South Tahoe.
In the 3A state semifinal, the North No. 2 Lady Indians dropped a heartbreaker to South No. 1 Pahrump Valley — the eventual state champion — by a tally of 4-3 in two round of penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation and two scoreless overtime periods.
Lindsey Johns
Despite playing a position that does not generate stats that jump off the page, Elko junior Lindsey Johns was a key cog in the Lady Indians’ defense — earning 1st-Team All-League, 1st-Team All-North and 2nd-Team All-State selections.
Johns was instrumental in Elko’s ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard — playing hard-nosed, physical, in-four-face defense — the Lady Indians allowing just 20 goals on the season across 27 games, giving up an average of only .74 goals per contest.
As a unit, Elko tallied 18 shutouts.
Offensively, Johns made overlapping runs and contributed one goal and a pair of assists.
Jacey Lindquist
Despite missing the playoffs, Spring Creek junior Jacey Lindquist played phenomenal soccer in a variety of areas for the Lady Spartans — serving as the team’s best stopper as well the roster’s best offensive weapon.
Her 1st-Team All-League, 1st-Team All-North and 2nd-Team All-State nods came on the defensive side.
But, she topped Spring Creek’s team with 15 goals and five assists — splitting seven in the league in goals scored.
Lindquist ranked 11th in the 3A North-East with 35 total points.
Defensively, the Lady Spartans allowed 50 goals in 24 contests — giving up an average of 2.1 goals per game.
The Lady Indians had four girls who earned 1st-Team All-League and 2nd-Team North selections.
Brielle Cooper
After opening eyes with a midseason call-up to the varsity as a freshman, sophomore Brielle Cooper put the league on notice that she if a force to be reckoned with for years to come — providing a one-two punch with Ramirez at forward.
In her second year of varsity action, nobody in the league scored more goals or tallied more points than Cooper — who booked league-best 36 goals and shared the league lead with Ramirez in total points, each tallying 84 total points.
Cooper’s 12 assists tied for fifth in the 3A North-East.
At the state level, she was third in goals scored, split fourth in the total points and tied for 17th in assists.
Miranda Casas
As a senior, Miranda Casas was the virtual definition of a midfielder — demonstrating the ability to pass and score.
Casas ranked second on the team with 15 assists — splitting second in the league — and scored 14 goals, sharing ninth in the conference.
She was fifth in the league with 43 total points.
Sascha Vera
As a sophomore — after starting for Elko as a freshman — Sascha Vera improved greatly for the Lady Indians in her second year of varsity ball on the left side of the midfield.
She finished fourth on the roster and tied for 14th in the league with 11 goals and added five assists.
Vera shared 16th in the conference with 27 total points.
Ryinn Hatch
Despite missing more than half of the season with an injury, Elko senior Ryinn Hatch made the most of her 12 games played — earning her 1st-Team All-League and 2nd-Team All-North selections as a utility player.
Like Johns, Hatch was a key component of Elko’s defense.
But, she assumed more of a scoring role in her final season — booking 10 goals and two assists in just 12 contests.
In the 3A North-East, she tied for 16th in goals scored.
Of the Elko County programs, three players notched 2nd-Team All-League — two from Spring Creek and one from Elko.
Katie Morrill
As a freshman, Spring Creek midfielder Katie Morrill made immediate contributions and showed tremendous promise for the next-three years.
She posted the same stat line as Hatch did for the Lady Indians, scoring 10 goals and dishing two assists — sharing 16th in the conference in goals scored.
Morrill also earned an honorable mention for the 3A North awards.
Jessica Vera
For Elko, sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Vera continued her potential after playing half of the season between the posts for the Lady Indians as a freshman.
Once again sharing duties with now-junior keeper Yanira Garcia, no goalie tallied a better goals-allowed average than Vera.
In 844 minutes in the frame — Garcia earning 888 minutes — Vera gave up just five goals across 24 games for a goals-allowed average of .474 per contest.
Of players with more than 18 contests in the goal, Vera’s goals-allowed average of .474 trailed only the .315 average by Pahrump Valley senior Avery Moore — who made a crucial stop in the Lady Trojan’s 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks over the Lady Indians in the 3A state semifinal.
Vera tied for 11th in the league and 18th in the state with 42 saves.
Sarah Schwandt
As a senior, Spring Creek’s Sarah Schwandt earned her 2nd-Team All-North selection as a defender.
Offensively, the tallied two goals.
League Honorable Mentions
At the local level, six girls earned honorable mentions for the 3A North-East awards.
Emely Castaneda
On the right side of Elko’s offense, senior Emely Castaneda provided opportunities for others and mixed in chances for herself.
She was third on the team and fifth in the league with 12 assists and added eight goals, finishing 15th in the league with 28 total points.
Jackie Rivera
Elko senior Jackie Rivera’s game grew by leaps and bounds in her final season in maroon and white.
She possessed the ability to both pass and score, notching nine goals and nine assists — tying for 17th in the league with 27 total points — sharing 10th in the conference in assists and 20th in goals scored.
Addy Smith
Paired with Morrill, fellow freshman Addy Smith provided another weapon for the Lady Spartans for years to come.
In her first year of varsity ball, Smith turned in seven goals and three assists — generally playing on the left side of Spring Creek’s offense.
Aly Clarke
As a junior, Spring Creek’s Aly Clarke saw an increase in playing time — also making a notable growth in her production.
On the year, Clarke scored four goals and dished three assists — often serving as a utility player on the both sides of the field.
Payton Greener
Spring Creek’s Payton Greener, served as another freshman in the Lady Spartans’ youth movement — finishing the year with four goals and two assists.
She also played at goalie for Spring Creek, notching 42 saves — tying for 11th in the league in stops.
Gracie Rivera
West Wendover’s Gracie Rivera also earned an honorable mention for the league awards in the Lady Wolverines’ first year of action at the 3A North-East level after moving up from the 2A North division.
On the year, West Wendover posted a 2-16 overall record and same mark in conference contests — defeating Battle Mountain 3-1 in each matchup.
Congratulations to Abi Ramirez on her League MVP, 1st-Team All-North and 1st-Team All-State selections, Lindsey Johns Jacey Lindquist for their 1st-Team All-League and 2nd-Team All-State nods, Brielle Cooper, Miranda Casas, Ryinn Hatch and Sascha Vera on 1st-Team All-League and 2nd-Team All-Region honors and to all player who were recognized for their achievements after the 2023 girls soccer seasons.
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