It was a loss, but the Ignacio soccer match against Ridgway was still a celebration for the hard-luck Bobcats.
The Ignacio girls scored their first goal of the season Friday during a snowy match.
Ridgway led most of the event, but the Ignacio girls knew they had a shot against the Demons. Building momentum into the match, sophomore midfielder Namichen Oberly led a rush down the far sideline, but didn't get a shot.
IHS junior middie Tori Archuleta later chipped the ball inside the 18. The Ridgway goalie ventured out to vie for a save, and Oberly somehow volleyed the ball into the net for a 37th-minute equalizer as the clouds overhead temporarily broke.
"It was the whole team, not just me," Oberly stated afterwards. "Tori assisted it, and.it was amazing! It felt so good; the whole team was so happy. We've been through a lot this whole season, and it was well-deserved."
"In Alamosa we were kicking butt too; we were really close to scoring, like, twice," she added. "And.we had no subs this game-NO subs! We played the whole game, everyone did, so I just feel really good about it."
Ridgway's 5-1 triumph could realistically have come by a mere 2-1 margin. The match might not have been a triumph at all had freshman Elle Martin not somehow lofted a 25-yard free kick over Ignacio goalie Lanie Webb in the second minute. Webb shrugged her shoulders in amazement while looking across at head coach Trevor Peterson after the play.
Despite having no available substitutes, IHS merely pinned their ears back and sunk their teeth into every opportunity-some so sweet that players' minds outran eager feet.
Senior Bekah Powell, moved forward in Oscar Cosio's formation with junior regular Shyla Jackson unavailable, had one such chance. Trying to fend off a green uniform, Powell couldn't pull the trigger on a shot with Ridgway keeper Samantha Medina caught out in the open and a helpless 15 yards off her line.
At the end of the afternoon, the 'Cats (0-7, 0-7 SWL) weren't looking back, only forward.
"Our team worked so hard," said Oberly. "I think after today.we've got to keep the train rolling, you know? All of our energy's so high, especially after today-like, 'I think we can do it!'"
Looking to settle into their newfound mettle, IHS was to travel to Telluride the following morning, but the match was snowed out by the weekend storm.
