Lady Timberwolves Run Away from Robertson 11-5

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The East Mountain High School girls soccer team continued its offensive tear Tuesday, rolling past Robertson 11-5 at the Mesa Del Sol complex to remain unbeaten on the young season.

With the victory, the Lady Timberwolves improved to 3-0-1 under first-year head coach Rebel Lathrop, whose fast start at the helm comes on the heels of a rapid turnaround and an offseason neck surgery in June.

“It was fast,” Lathrop said of taking over the program just a month before the season. “Once I came in, I just started trying to drill and put the point that you talk to each other, be a family, be close. The closer we can be, the better we’re going to play together.”

East Mountain built a commanding early lead Tuesday, allowing Lathrop to cycle depth across a 21-player roster featuring a heavy contingent of freshmen and sophomores.

“If my starters can go out there and do what they’re supposed to do and get us a buffer, then I like to start rotating in the lower-experienced players so that they can get the experience,” Lathrop said. “Because eventually those players are going to be the starters, and our starters are going to be gone.”

Lathrop, a military veteran who served as a medic, squad leader, and heavy equipment operator in the National Guard, credited his team captains with anchoring the on-field execution and setting the tone in training.

Senior captains Avaihabella Valdez and Violet Wojcik, alongside junior captain Jenna Dinwiddie, are tasked with leading warmups, running drills, and directing game flow.

“I put a lot of weight on their shoulders,” Lathrop said. “With these young ladies getting that type of exposure to leadership, they’re stepping up in a huge way. It helps them with their peers, because you’re now having to take orders not from the coach who’s an adult, but from your peers who you’re playing with every single day.”

Without a home field this season due to upgrades, the Timberwolves practice at Los Vecinos Community Center and Vista Grande, setting up and tearing down fields on their own.

“We are very flexible,” Lathrop said. “My goal is to create a sustainable program that not only wins, but more importantly, I just want to be a person that these young ladies can look up to and talk to if they need something. I’m just trying to be the best role model and coach that I can.”

The 2026 Lady Timberwolves soccer roster includes Cadynce Atkinson, Yeraly Gutierrez, Jenna Dinwiddie, Avaihabella Valdez, Violet Wojcik, Haven Tomlin, Cadence Wilson, Mackenzie Thomas, Lia Puccini, Wren Benson, Amelia Meiser, Bella Duran, Kylee Randolf, Lilyanna Trevino, Blessing Valdez, Allie Saavedra, Roxy Madero, Grace Rivera, Lauren Skogen and Audriana Jones.