Unable to break through offensively, the Emery Spartans suffered a 2-0 loss to the North Sanpete Hawks in a Region 15 contest Tuesday afternoon in Castle Dale.

Entering the tilt with a three-game winning streak, the Spartans trailed 1-0 at the end of the first half. The Hawks again scored in the second half, putting the game out of reach.

“It’s really unfortunate when you play a team the best you can play them and still come up short,” said head coach Troy Winter. “We controlled the ball and controlled the tempo of the game. They capitalized on our mistakes and we couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Tuesday’s meeting was the second of the season between the two teams. The first ended in a 2-2 tie back on March 14 in Mount Pleasant.

The loss dips Emery to 4-2-1 in division play, ultimately eliminating them from region championship contention. With only three regular season games left on the slate, the Spartans trail Grand by three games in the win column.

“We’re not giving up or throwing in the towel, and that is something that I talked about with them,” said Winter. “Thursday we have Manti, and they are going to be a tough team. We have to go over there and take care of business and we’ve proven we are capable of doing that.”

Thursday’s contest will carry massive seeding implications for the division. Manti is currently even with Emery in the loss and tie column, while trailing the Spartans by one game in wins.

Start time for Thursday’s contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.. Stay tuned to Castle Country Radio for more on the Emery High School boy’s soccer team.