Cavegirls blast Chaparral in season opener

CARLSBAD – Carlsbad’s scoring onslaught was too much for Chaparral to handle, it got ugly fast.

Too fast, actually.

The Cavegirls scored six goals by the 15:36 mark in the first half, and they didn’t stop – cruising to a 12-0 first-half mercy rule win in Tuesday’s season opener.

“It’s really awesome. It’s good to start off like this, give us some confidence. Our shooting is going good. Once we start, it’s not going to stop,” junior defender Mariel Gomez said.

After senior forward Tessa Graham booted in the first two goals of regulation in the first 13 minutes, senior forward Lauryn Wade launched a 30-foot free kick and it ended up in the back of the net.

“At the beginning of the game, we needed to make a statement. We carried that out. Whenever we go on the field, we need to give it 100 percent,” Graham said.

From there, Carlsbad capitalized on its scoring chances off of deflections in the box and scoring on a couple breakaways from the right edge of the box.

They also scored off a penalty kick, courtesy of senior midfielder Julie Thompson.

Carlsbad even got an extra goal in when Chaparral inadvertently bumped one into its own net.

Gomez put the final nail in the coffin scoring the 12th and final goal from the far right edge of the box with 61 seconds left in the first half.

Due to New Mexico Activities Association rules, the Cavegirls won via mercy rule because they scored at least 10 goals before halftime.

“I definitely didn’t expect this,” Graham said, smiling.

Graham had three goals on the night, while Thompson and junior midfielder Hayven Burkeen each scored two goals.

“It’s awesome knowing you don’t have to rely on just one person to score,” Gomez said.

Carlsbad (1-0) will host Alamogordo at 6 p.m. Thursday.

CARLSBAD 12, CHAPARRAL 0

Up next for Carlsbad: 6 p.m. Thursday vs. Alamogordo

Up next for Chaparral: 1 p.m. Friday vs. Moriarty (at Socorro Tournament)

Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.