NEW MARKET — It wasn’t the way Southmont girls soccer wanted their season to end. Tuesday the Mounties hosted the Class A Sectional 41 tournament and took on the Cascade Cadets. The Mounties beat Cascade 2-1 back on Sep. 18 but this game had a notable absence. Mountie goalie Olivia Snapp got hurt against Bethesda and that forced freshman Makinzi Wood into the fire. Wood and the Mountie defense after allowing a Cadet goal four minutes into the game, buckled down for the final 76 minutes. Jessica Hale evened things up at 1-1 with a PK in the early stages of the second half and the two teams would hold serve there as they headed to OT. The Cadets got a break-away goal from junior Anna Burns in the first seven-minute period and added another in the second OT and Cascade walked away with a 3-1 overtime win over the Mounties.
“We were at an obvious disadvantage tonight because of having Snapp out but Makinzi stepped in and did one heck of a job for a freshman,” Southmont coach Roger Azar said. “This game could have been 10-1 but she stepped up and she has never played goalie before. That’s just part of the game and how it goes sometimes. I told our girls afterwards how proud I was of them. I’m not mad at how they played because they played their hearts out, it’s just sad that the season’s over.”
It’s a season that saw the Mounties go 10-7 overall. It’s the exact same amount of wins they had a year ago as they’ve had a winning record each of the last three seasons.
The Mounties do say goodbye to another large senior class. Shelby Chieppo, Ella Brewer, Jalen Crook, Jessica Bradley, Shakhia Burks, and Grace Simpson all played their final game in a Mountie uniform.
“I choke up when I have to say goodbye to these girls because its the hardest part about being a coach,” Azar said of his seniors. “It’s hard because they’re the leaders of the team. I know we’ll have some girls step up next year but right now it’s always tough when a season is over and they’ve put on that jersey for the last time. As a coach you build relationships with these players and create a bond amongst everyone and it’ll be tough to see them go.”
Southmont does return Hale and a plethora of other starters for next season. The Mounties have built a winning culture over the years and Azar is looking to continue that winning tradition next fall.
“The girls are in charge of what we’ve created here,” he said. “You can see the effort that they’re putting into the program. They truly love this game and love being part of this team. We’re looking forward to next year already.”
Cascade with the win avenges the earlier season loss to the Mounties and will now advance to Thursday’s semi-final match against the Greencastle Tiger Cubs. The sectional championship at Southmont is scheduled for Saturday night at 7 p.m.
