Two early goals conceded set the Tenino girls soccer team on the back foot early, and the Beavers couldn’t dig out of the hole in a 2-0 loss to Elma on Thursday.
The Eagles took the lead on a corner kick in the 13th minute, and doubled the advantage in the 25th.
“We came out pretty flat in the first half, which was extremely frustrating because we played so much better in the second half,” Tenino coach Dave Montgomery said.
The Beavers (5-4-1, 0-2-0 1A Evergreen) held the line the rest of the way, but couldn’t find the necessary spark on offense to draw any closer.
Dakota Lees made seven saves for Tenino.
“Back-to-back killer games for her,” Montgomery said. “She’s really stepped up the way we thought she could for us as a senior.”
Montgomery also credited Kyra Dirks with playing a standout game in defense, in just her third match as a right back in the Beavers’ system.
Tenino will be off for a week, and return to play at Hoquiam next Thursday.
