There was no shortage of hugs and tears after East Mountain’s girls soccer team ended its season Oct. 20 at home. The Lady Timberwolves were defeated 10-0 in a mercy-rule shortened match at the hands of district rival Sandia Prep.
East Mountain held off top-ranked Sandia Prep for a short stretch at the start of the match, but by 10 minutes into the first half, the visitors started scoring at will.
“They’re the defending state champions and you can see why,” East Mountain head coach Jason Burnette said.
East Mountain’s goalkeeper Taryn Sveum finished with nine saves, but she had her hands full as Sandia Prep’s relentless attacking scored goals in the 10th, 11th, 14th, and 16th minutes. The goal in the 11th came on a penalty kick.
“She was under siege,” Burnette said of his sophomore goalkeeper.
Sandia Prep knocked in three more goals for a 7-0 lead at halftime. The second half brought more of the same as Sandia Prep added another three goals in 12 minutes to end the game in the 52nd on the 10-goal mercy rule.
“It was a tough loss but reflecting on the season, I’m proud of what the girls accomplished,” Burnette said, adding, “We’re a young team and early in the season we lost our leader, Amber Pino. But this group showed a lot of heart, and we look forward to building on next year.”
