ALBUQUERQUE — The Los Alamos girls soccer team was all business in the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA state tournament.

The second-seeded Hilltoppers scored three goals off set plays and deftly handled Piedra Vista 3-0 Thursday morning at the Albuquerque Public Schools Soccer Complex.

Showing extreme focus, Los Alamos (17-4) controlled play from the outset, clearly illustrating the 'Toppers' desire to finally break through and win the coveted blue championship trophy after three straight years of losing in the finals.

"All week we've been talking about how defense is so crucial, especially against physical teams, so we knew what we were coming up against," said sophomore defender Stephanie Blair, who scored the Hilltoppers' second goal. "We knew we had to shut down their forwards because we knew how good they are. So it was all part of our plan and it worked."

With the win, Los Alamos advances to a rematch with nemesis Albuquerque Academy in Friday's semifinals at 11 a.m. Seeded No. 3, Academy beat No. 6 Aztec 5-0 in other quarterfinal action.

"This is the game we've been looking forward to," said Blair. "We knew we'd meet in the semis if we both won. We've been preparing all week mentally and physically for this game. We know it's going to be aggressive and physical. We know we have to put everything on the field. We're ready for it."

Junior midfielder Amelia Neal scored two goals, including a penalty kick late to put the match out of reach. Los Alamos outshot the Panthers 15-7, including seven shots on frame as it constantly kept Piedra Vista goalkeeper Madison Hunt busy and on the alert.

"I was very happy with their play," said Hilltoppers head coach Jiri Kubicek. "We had two weeks off. It's not easy to prepare, but they did a good job."

The Panthers made a lot of noise getting psyched up before kickoff, but were silenced just two minutes into the match when Neal slapped an errant corner kick from senior Megan Kober past the Panthers' Hunt.

Los Alamos kept the pressure on throughout the game, consistently piercing the Piedra Vista defense with through balls that were largely swept up by Hunt or cleared by the scrappy Panthers.

Piedra Vista (15-6-1) managed no shots on goal in the first half before finding some offense in the second half. Piedra Vista's best scoring chances came off a free kick in the 21st minute that sailed high over the cross bar and a shot off a breakaway in the 47th that 'Toppers keeper Bryce Theesfeld easily smothered.

Neal added a penalty kick goal in the 56th minute after Piedra Vista defender was called for a hand ball violation inside the 18-yard box. Blair scored on a twisting direct kick from 25 yards out in the center off the field.

"We've been practicing our set plays all season and coach just told me to shoot," Blair said. "I just hit it with as much power as possible. Luckily, it went in."

Theesfeld said she was confident in Los Alamos' chances Friday against the Chargers, whom the Hilltoppers beat 3-0 on Sept. 17.

"We played them before they had their injured players back, so it's going to be very different," she said.