No one expected #13 Emery to make it to the semifinals of the 3A State Soccer Tournament, but that is exactly what the Spartans achieved. They were able to defeat Grand 1-0 and Richfield 1-0 to become one of the four remaining teams in the tourney.
On Monday, they met up with #1 Morgan at Juan Diego High School for a chance to advance to the final. Much like the rest of the tournament, Emery elected to focus on playing great defense while looking for an opportunist counter attack. The strategy was going as planned until a defensive mistake opened the door for the Trojans to score their first goal and lead 1-0 at the half.
The Spartans continued to play great defense, but with 25 minutes left, they needed a goal to tie the game. Their shift in focus led to holes on the defensive end, allowing Morgan to score three more times and defeat the Spartans 4-0. Although Emery was eliminated from the tournament, nothing is taken away from the impressive run by those in black and gold.
Emery finished the year as one of the top four in the classification with a 9-10 record.
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- Photos Courtesy of James Huggard
