Just a couple of weeks ago, the Lowry High School girls soccer team was all but eliminated from playoff contention in the Division I-A North.
However, starting on Oct. 18, the Lady Bucks began a stretch of five wins in six matches that concluded on Thursday with a 3-0 win over Sparks on senior night.
Lowry (8-6-2 Division I-A North, 9-7-3 overall) also picked up wins over Elko and Spring Creek during that stretch. The Lady Bucks also needed the rival Indians to falter in other matches as the regular season came to an end and Elko obliged.
"We did what we needed to do," said LHS coach Melanie Rasor. "The girls are pumped up and we are playing some of our best soccer right now. It is a whole different mindset and different game from the start of the season. They are working together and playing at a much higher level. I am proud of them, but we still have work to do."
When Lowry played Sparks three weeks ago, the Lady Bucks needed to score twice in the final 10 minutes to pull off the win. Lowry wasted little time in its home finale, as Monique Rodriguez broke free in the fourth minute for an easy goal to score in her final match on her home field.
Fellow senior Iridiana Gonzalez put Lowry up 2-0 seven minutes later and the Railroaders never challenged the Lady Bucks. Senior Jasmine Marchand was steady in the goal for Lowry.
Gonzalez collected her second goal of the night, scoring on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box, after Sparks was called for a foul.
"It was a good way to end the season on our home field," Rasor said, "All of our seniors did amazing. We were able to dominate them."
Lowry travels to Truckee on Friday and Saturday for the Division I-A North Regional Championships. The Lady Bucks will play South Tahoe, the defending state champions, at 3 p.m. Truckee will play Spring Creek in the other semifinal, also at 3 p.m. The championship is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
"We need to stay confident and work hard," Rasor said. "I know we can play and beat anybody in our conference. Anything is possible. We played well against South Tahoe the last time we played."[[In-content Ad]]
