Even the largest fuel tanks can hold only so much.

And unfortunately, after burning through just about all the juice they could bring out to the San Luis Valley the day before during a hearty loss at Alamosa, there simply wasn’t much more Ignacio could consume than fumes as they succumbed 10-0 at Center on Saturday, April 9.

Improving to 1-5-1 overall, 1-4-1 in the 3A/2A Southwestern League, the Lady Vikings – the circuit’s lone qualifier for the inaugural CHSAA Class 2A State Tournament last season – got four goals before halftime and six after in dropping the Lady Bobcats to 0-5, 0-5 prior to an April 12 visit from Pagosa Springs (5-2, 5-1).

At AHS, senior Darby Bolt’s first-half hat trick had already all but ensured that the struggling Mean Moose wouldn’t fall on their home turf. But it took something of that magnitude to more or less subdue the visitors in a half which saw Ignacio throw more aggression at Alamosa – whether they were the two-time defending SWL champs or not – in 40 minutes than probably ever before.

To wit: Not only did the Lady Cats actually manage a shot on junior Alison Doyle, one of many newer faces on Martin Wolffe’s depleted roster – already lacking the since-graduated Tayleur Hillis/Taylor Nye scoring tandem – but squad newcomer Cortney Wilson-Baker’s tenth-minute try was firmly on target.

And with every intent of offsetting sophomore Katie Parkins’ fifth-minute finish of classmate Jaqueline Palacios’ set-up pass, it would have then put IHS in a position which the program possibly had never been – level, and competitive with a league power.

Bolt alertly countered in short order with her first goal coming in the 12th, and struck again in the 19th before Ignacio – urged on by a hyper-vocal coaching staff of skipper Oscar Cosio and assistants Savannah Davis and Alisha Gullion – regained its early composure and did its best to keep the Moose away from goalie Gibran Silva.

Making her debut as Cosio’s option – one out of, well … nearly none – to spell concussion casualty Lanie Webb in net, the senior newcomer was initiated in pretty much the same way as the sidelined freshman.

At times facing multiple shots in swift succession, Silva totaled 18 saves unofficially (Webb had made 17 versus Telluride on March 10), but with Bolt nailing a 56th-minute penalty kick and netting a fifth goal in the 62nd – putting AHS up 7-0 at the time – there was little doubt of the outcome.

Though after having nearly denied Doyle a shutout, Ignacio wasn’t about to fall by mercy-rule on this occasion until the match was nearing its regulation end anyways.

Senior Elise Tolley, who’d cashed in a Bolt feed in the 60th for Alamosa’s sixth goal, scored in the 80th to cap the 10-nil (Parkins had completed her own hatter by marking in the 66th and 73rd) win, helping the Moose improve to 2-4 in league and 4-5 overall.

Ahead on the schedule for IHS – which also amazed AHS by gaining four corner kicks (Alamosa gained seven, by comparison) – Ridgway comes to town for a 4 p.m. kickoff on Friday, April 15. The Lady Cats then travel to THS for an 11 a.m. start the following morning, before then preparing for a 4/19 visit from Bayfield.