The Emery Lady Spartans soccer squad ended their 2021 campaign on October 9 in Delta,falling to the Rabbits in the opening round of the 3A State Championship Tournament. After a season that had the Spartans winning just three contests all season, Emery will look to re-group and come back next season.
With 11 seniors on this years team, next year will be the year for the underclassmen to take the next step and be ready next August when play starts up once again.
Below is a recap of all of the matches of the 2021 season.
American Leadership Tournament
August 5- Payson- Loss 9-1
August 6- American Heritage- Loss 2-0
August 7- Uintah- Loss 8-0
Last weekend the Spartans took to the pitch once again to start their run to October, opening up the season at the American Leadership Tournament. Playing three games in two days and struggling to find offense the Spartans came home with an 0-3 record.
Starting on Thursday the Spartans faced the Payson Lions, a 5A school out of Region 7.
The Lions started fast scoring six goals in the first half and coming out and scoring three more in half number two. The Spartans found the back of the net one time coming in the second half and fell in the opening contest of the weekend 9-1.
The next day the Spartans returned to the field, this time to face the American Heritage Patriots. American Heritage is a 2A school in American Fork.
The Patriots would score once in the first half and twice in the second, all while holding Emery scoreless taking the game 3-0.
On Saturday the Spartans would end tournament play going up against the Uintah Utes from Vernal. Uintah went 5-12 last year in the 4A ranks and jumped up to the 5A class for this season.
Once again the Emery squad was held scoreless in the game with Uintah scoring four goals in the first half and four in the second and claiming the 8-0 victory.
August 10- Gunnison Valley- Win 6-0
Starting early, the Spartans put three goals on board in the first half and three more in the second half coming off the foot of six different players.
Seniors Kaydee Sermon, Tenyson Allred and Aspen Hansen as well as juniors BreElle Parkins and Beka Barnett along with sophomore Madi Bunnell all found the back of the net for the Spartans in this much needed win.
In goal for Emery was sophomore Alivia Christman, earning her first shutout of the season.
August 12- Parowan- Loss 7-0
The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 first half lead and continued their offensive display in the second scoring four more.
Karlee Wood found the back of the net three times and Maycee Andersen twice for the Rams. Deanna Gale and Brynlee Andersen filled out the rest of Parowan’s score sheet. Junior Brooklyn Hulet posted the shutout.
The Emery Spartans will now welcome in North Sanpete on Tuesday. Assistant coach Erik Nielsen knows how important home games are for this team.
“To be able to have a game at home, come out to the field and relax, have some fans there. That’s fun, that feels like we’re really underway once you get that home game in.”
August 17- North Sanpete Loss 4-1
The Emery Spartan ladies soccer team has been playing for almost two weeks and school hasn’t even started yet. The other part to that is that every game has been on the road. Well that all changed on Tuesday when they welcomed North Sanpete to Castle Dale. Battling throughout the contest, the Spartans were over powered falling 4-1.
Playing since Aug.5, Emery opened the season on the road for tournament play, the Spartans would lose their first three to Payson, American Heritage and Uintah. They collected their first win of the season with a lopsided 6-0 victory over Gunnison Valley, and then took a loss to Parowan.
In the game with the North Sanpete Hawks, the Spartans found themselves down early as the Hawks did all of their damage in the first half taking a 4-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Emery would come out and find the back of the net in the second half, putting up their only goal of the contest.
August 19- San Juan- Win 7-1
After being home for one game, the Lady Spartans were back on the road again in Monticello to face the San Juan Broncos on Thursday. Emery was able to seemingly score at will and all the while holding off the Broncos on defense to get the 7-1 victory.
San Juan is a team that the Spartans are familiar with after being in the same region the last two years. This season the Broncos have dropped to the 2A classification in all sports.
The Spartans jumped out in the first half taking a 4-0 lead into the locker room. They came back out in the second half scoring three more and allowing San Juan’s only goal.
August 24- Union- Loss 3-0
The Emery Lady Spartans suffered a 3-0 loss to the Union Cougars in a non-region contest Tuesday evening in Castle Dale.
Unable to carry the momentum built in Thursday’s win over San Juan, the Lady Spartans dipped to 2-6 overall with the setback. Trailing 2-0 at the end of the first half, the final half was competitive as the Cougars scored just one goal.
Emery has put together one of the busiest non-region schedules in 3A. Playing in eight games up to this point, only one remains before Region 12 division action starts on Tuesday against Canyon View.
August 26- Maeser Prep Academy- Loss 7-0
Coming off a loss on Tuesday against Union at home the Emery Spartan soccer team traveled to Lindon to face Maeser Preparatory Academy Thursday, falling 7-0 on the road and dropping their season record to 2-7.
The Spartans will jump into their region schedule next week when they face Canyon View from Cedar City. This is Canyon View’s first year in 3A, last year they played in 4A and gathered a 10-7 overall record going 8-6 in region play.
August 31- Canyon View- Loss 4-0
Emery Spartan soccer has not begun the season they way they would have liked. Sitting at 2-6 the Spartans started the region portion of their schedule on Tuesday against new comer to Region 12 the Canyon View Falcons. The Falcons entered the contest at 6-3 and found the back of the net four times in the shutout win.
The Falcons posted one score in the first half taking the lead into the locker room. Three more would find home in the second half closing out the Spartans.
For the Falcons, Brooke Davie put it between the post twice and Bethanee Vargas and Hadlee Farrow rounded out the scoring.
Up next is a match-up with the Grand County Red Devils on the road in Moab on Thursday. The Red Devils sit at 3-1 this season. Last season Emery won both meetings with Grand.
September 2- Grand- Loss 1-0
he Emery Spartan soccer squad has begun region play starting with a loss to Canyon View at home on Tuesday. On Thursday they were on the road in Moab to face the Grand County Red Devils, in a very tight contest the Spartans fell 1-0 dropping to 2-10 overall and 0-2 in conference.
The Spartans have struggled of late sitting on a four game losing streak. Their last win was on Aug. 19 when they scorched San Juan 7-1.
In the match with Grand, Emery’s defense was on display as they held the Red Devils scoreless in the first half, taking a 0-0 score into the locker room. In the second half , Grand found the back of the net and held on for the 1-0 win.
Emery is sitting at No. 20 in the RPI from the Utah High School Activities Association. The RPI will continue to be updated throughout the remainder of the season, until Oct. 6, when the bracket for the State Championship Tournament will be revealed.
September 7 – Richfield- Loss 3-0
Tuesday the Emery Spartans were in Richfield to face the Wildcats in a Region 12 contest. The Spartans have hit a rough spot lately losing their last four, and are now heading into the last six contests of the season. In the match with the Wildcats, the Spartans had no answer for the Richfield offense and took the 3-0 loss.
Emery now sits at 2-11 on the season and head into the final weeks of their schedule.
They won’t take to the field again until next Tuesday the 14, when they will face Carbon in Castle Dale. The Dinos sit at 6-3 and are coming off a loss to Canyon View 3-1.
Emery will then be on the road on Thursday the 16, at the same Canyon View Falcons, a team they lost to on Aug. 31. Then home matches with Richfield and Grand County before they wrap up the season on the road at Carbon.
September 14- Carbon- Loss 2-1
Amiah Timothy scored the go-ahead goal with eight minutes remaining in regulation to lift the Carbon Lady Dinos past the Emery Lady Spartans 2-1 in a region contest Tuesday afternoon in Castle Dale.
Locked in a scoreless tie at the end of the first half, both teams found offensive success in the final stanza. In the end it was Carbon that came out on top to secure the important region win.
Timothy recorded both goals for the Lady Dinos, the first coming early in the second half. Emery tied the game moments later as BreElle Parkins found the back of the net to draw even.
Atlee Madrid and Jezmin Pressett each assisted Timothy on the two Carbon scores. The win gives Carbon a 2-1 record in league play and 7-3 overall entering the final go around next week.
Tuesday’s loss dips Emery’s region record 0-4 and 2-12 overall. With four region games remaining on the slate the Lady Spartans will return to the field Thursday at home against the Canyon View Falcons. The two teams have met once this season as Canyon View earned a 4-0 win back on August 31.
September 16- Canyon View- Loss 6-1
Coming off a 2-1 loss on Tuesday to the Carbon Dinos, the Lady Spartan soccer team was on the road in Cedar City to take on the Canyon View Falcons Thursday. The Spartans had a difficult time with the Falcon defense and suffered a 6-1 loss.
Canyon View is the No. 7 team with a record of 11-3, and playing their first year as a member of Region 12.
The Falcons came out firing early scoring three goals in the first half and then another three in half number two. Emery was able to find the back of the net once in the second half as well, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Emery lost their seventh straight.
Emery sits at 2-13 and holds the No. 20 spot in the RPI. The rankings will be used at the end of the season for seeding purposes in the 3A State Championship Tournament, which begins on Oct. 9.
September 21- Grand- Win 5-1
The Lady Spartan soccer club welcomed the Grand County Red Devils to Castle Dale on Tuesday. Emery has had their struggles this season but in the match with the Red Devils they seemed like a new team taking the 5-1 win.
The Spartans were sitting on a seven game losing streak and getting close to the end of the season both of the final contests could make a difference when State Tournament time rolls around.
Emery had Grand on the ropes the whole game putting all five goals on the board in the first half. They came out and were on the attack and didn’t let the Red Devils up for air, allowing the only Grand County goal late in the end of the second half.
The Spartans have two games left on the schedule, and are 3-13 on the season, they also occupy the No. 20 in the RPI. They will have the remainder of this week off before heading back to the field.
September 28- Richfield- Loss 3-0
Locked in a defensive battle at the end of the first half, the Emery Lady Spartans were unable to keep pace with the Richfield Wildcats in an eventual 3-0 setback Tuesday afternoon in Castle Dale.
Emery remained in striking distance of Richfield trailing just 1-0 at the end of the first half. The Wildcats managed to pull away in the final stanza as they added two more goals while completing the shutout effort.
Tuesday’s loss comes just one week after Emery logged its first region win of the season in a dominating 5-1 performance over the Grand Red Devils. Tuesday’s loss to Richfield dips the team’s overall record to 3-13 and region record to 1-6.
With only one game remaining on the regular season slate, the Lady Spartans will shift their focus to Thursday’s division finale on the road against the No. 6 ranked Carbon Dinos. Thursday will mark the second meeting between the two schools, the first ended in Carbon’s favor 2-1 back on Sept. 14.
September 30- Carbon- Loss 8-0
The Carbon Lady Dinos completed the season sweep of the Emery Lady Spartans with a dominating 8-0 victory Thursday afternoon in Price.
Junior Kinley Cowdell found the back of the net three times as five Carbon players scored at least one goal. Sophomore Amiah Timothy ran her season total to 19 as she scored twice. Beverly Lancaster and Brittany Huff also scored once.
Senior Molly Banks put together a solid performance as she finished with one goal and three assists.
For Emery, Thursday’s loss marked the seventh in eight region games and the second consecutive shutout defeat. Despite battling on the defensive side of the field Tuesday, the Lady Spartans were unable to keep pace with Richfield in a 3-0 setback.
3A State Playoffs First Round
October 9- Delta- Loss 7-0
Last weekend the first round of the 3A State Championship Soccer Tournament began at home sites. Entering the tournament at No. 21 the Emery Spartans traveled to Delta to face the No.12 Rabbits. Delta held the Spartans scoreless taking the match 7-0 and ending the Lady Spartans season.
The Spartans ended the regular season with a 3-14 record landing them towards the bottom of the RPI rankings.
Delta jumped out early in the first half finding the back of the net three times. The Rabbits added four more goals in the second half taking the victory and moving forward in the tournament.
Sophomore Meg Neilson led the way for the Rabbits with seven goals in the win. Muren Clark, Kate Smith, Caitlin Allred and Elizabeth Finlinson each had on goal for Delta, who will now face Manti in the second round.