Lilly Dorato found pleasure in Erin Ward's pain.

Without realizing it.

Dorato supplied the lone score on an overcast Friday afternoon, as the Lady Bulldogs of Albuquerque High School defeated the Demonettes of Santa Fe High 1-0 in a District 2AAAAA girls soccer match at Ivan Head Stadium.

But, had it not been for Ward's face being in the right place at the wrong time, Dorato would not have kept alive the Lady Bulldogs' hopes for an at-large bid to next month's Class AAAAA State Tournament.

Ward was approximately 6 yards away from Lela Montoya, as the Santa Fe High sweeper cleared the ball from deep inside the box. The ball caught the Albuquerque High midfielder flush in the face. It ricocheted left to Dorato. The freshman forward slid her 12-yard shot inside the near post in the 53rd minute.

Dorato was unaware of her teammate's sacrifice.

"Someone crossed it and I ran on and shot it," Dorato said.

Uh, not quite, Lilly.

At least, not about the cross.

Still. The end justified the means, no?

It did for the Lady Bulldogs. At 8-9 overall and 3-2 in the district, they remain in the at-large conversation.

"If we play really well the last couple games, we might have a shot," Dorato said.

There will be no postseason in Santa Fe High's future. Was there solace in losing by one goal as opposed to the 7-0 defeat the Lady Bulldogs pinned on the Demonettes in the first meeting?

"I wish we could eke one out," Katie Roberts, Santa Fe High head coach, said. "We lost 2-1 to Valley and we scored an own goal. They're knocking on the door. They're just not walking through."

The Demonettes are stuck in a losing streak, one that is six in a row. The Demonettes' 2-12 overall record includes a 0-5 district mark. They have been outscored 25-1 in 2AAAAA matches.

Roberts found the rainbow in the dark clouds that dropped 10 minutes of rain late in the second half.

"We came out very strong in comparison to the first game with them," she said. "And I was particularly happy with our back four. They did a stellar job."

Albuquerque High penetrated that defense for 16 shots on frame, of which 11 required Mara Dauber's personal touch.

"She's a rock," Roberts said of her junior goalkeeper. "She's not very big, but she's got great reflexes. And she lays out for balls that you wouldn't think she could get to."

Somewhere between the rock (Dauber's hands) and the hard place (Ward's face), was Dorato.

The pleasure outlasted the pain.