Youngsters help lift Lady T’wolves to win over Santa Fe Prep
East Mountain’s girls soccer team hadn’t played a game in a couple of weeks when it hosted Santa Fe Prep on Sept. 14. But the Lady Timberwolves still managed to get past the visiting Blue Griffins, particularly with the help of East Mountain’s younger players.
Freshman Soriah Chavez scored a pair of goals, sophomore Savannah Gomez scored one, and sophomore goalkeeper Rylee Allen had seven saves to help lift the Lady T’wolves to a 3-0 victory.
“Yeah, two [goals] from a freshman and the other one was a sophomore, so that’s good,” East Mountain head coach John Sabrowski said.
Seniors Sierra Larson, Kaylee Baker, and Kayla Salas combined for eight shots, all of which were either a little off the mark or saved by Santa Fe Prep’s goalkeeper.
Four minutes into the game, Baker fired a cross pass to Larson, who tried to punch it in, but the Blue Griffins’ keeper knocked it away. That set up Chavez’ first goal as she secured the blocked ball and poked it in just inside the 6-yard line.
“It rebounded off the other girl and I just had the opportunity to score,” Chavez said. “Just trying to help my team out.”
During a scrum in front of Prep’s goal three minutes later, the ball bounced around and Gomez was in the right place at the right time to tap it in for a 2-0 lead. “It went above, and I had the shot to just, like poke it into the corner, and I did,” she said. “It just rolled in.”
East Mountain continued attacking in the second half, causing eight corners. The last corner set up Chavez’ second goal in the 79th, as the ball settled around the front of the 6-yard area and she knocked it in.
It’s the first time Chavez has tallied two goals in a varsity game. “It’s huge,” she said. “I’m excited, and I’m just proud of my teammates.”
With their last two games getting cancelled—one by weather and the other due to a mix up with officials—the Lady Timberwolves hadn’t played in two weeks and Sabrowski said the team was a little rusty.
“It kinda showed, I saw some tired legs in the second half,” Sabrowski said. “But it’s a win, it gets us ready for what’s ahead, I feel good about it.”
The Lady T’wolves hosted district rival Navajo Prep on Sept. 16.