Santa Fe Indian School's lone victory wins wager with coach

Wheres the beef? Its on the menu, count on it.

Promised a steak dinner by its coach if it ever won a game this season, the Santa Fe Indian School girls soccer team did just that a week ago with a 2-1 road win at Shiprock.

It wasnt just the Braves first and only victory of the season; it was the programs first W since a global pandemic changed the world as we know it.

Yeah, five years is a long time, said SFIS coach Nick Cashmere following his teams 5-1 home loss Friday.

We all knew it would happen eventually but to get it now, yeah, such a good feeling for all the players.

The Braves celebrated senior day in their most recent home match, saying goodbye to seven girls whod spent their high school playing careers without a win until last week.

It snapped a 76-game losing streak that stretched to Sept.

5, 2019 the Braves last win at home.

Cashmere wasnt able to attend the game at Shiprock due to other commitments but it certainly didnt stop the players from making him a part of it.

We all went to Olive Garden after the game and FaceTimed him telling him we want our steak dinner, said senior Carmella Chosa.

Chosa is one of this years captains and joined the SFIS program as a sophomore when she, Honey Sandoval and Denisha Padilla took it up at the same time.

Sandoval and Padilla have ties to the San Felipe Pueblo while Chosa is from Laguna and Jemez.

Their bond has made a difference with the team.

What used to be 10-0 blowout losses have gotten a bit more competitive.

The Braves didnt score a single goal last season, getting outscored 129-0.

Theyve scored seven times this fall, and every opportunity, as rare as they are, is greeted with a wave of anticipation from the sidelines and stands.

A late-game push by sophomore Aaliya Valencia in Fridays game was turned away, but as she lunged forward into the box, the fans rose and cheered.

It can get frustrating at times, and sometimes I probably let that show on the field, but I try to let everyone know not to take it personally because I really care about this team and want more than anything to see it succeed, Padilla said.

Every chance we get to be together and improve is what I will remember.

Sandoval said she wont forget the moment the whistle blew to end the game with a win over Shiprock.

It was a sensation no one in the program had felt before.

It was surreal, to stand there on the field and be, like, Does that mean we just won? Sandoval said.

It was, like, what? Thats game? Its something weve been striving for since I got here, for the last two years with coach.

Achieving it was such a good moment.

Wiping away tears as she talked about the bond shes made with her teammates, Chosa said the captains role bestowed upon her, Sandoval and Padilla is something the trio has embraced.

The return message isnt about the numbers on the scoreboard, its about so much more.

As long as you see your progress, youre a winner, Chosa said.

Dont let anyone push you around or make you stop trying to get the ball.

If we all do, well be a team and at the end of the season were all winners even if we lose every game.

Cashmere became the seventh coach in 12 years at SFIS when he was handed the job prior to last season.

A former player at San Jose State who spends his spare time playing for local teams including the Santa Fe Gloom futsal club he said part of the deal was learning how to be a coach.

That process began the day he first inquired about the job.

Well, first of all, during the interview, athletic director [Eric] Brock was pretty good about kind of, maybe, concealing the state of it, Cashmere said with a laugh.

But he was honest about the kind of people Id be interacting with here.

Everyone has been welcoming and open to what I bring.

The SFIS experience, he said, has exceeded his expectations.

The administration, players and fans have embraced what is basically a fringe sport at a school known for cross-country and basketball, and shown its willing to expand its horizons.

Whereas most of the Braves opponents have rosters filled with players who grew up playing the game and fine-tuning their craft at the club level, most SFIS players learn things on the fly.

Ive coached in college and with some elite-level programs all over the place, but coming here taught me how to simplify the message and connect with the players on a much different level, he said.

The terminology, teaching the girls about spacing and flow; everything was new to them.

Like teaching a language.

Watching them develop has been extremely rewarding.

So rewarding, in fact, that he and his wife are more than happy to organize the steak dinner hes been promising since he got here.

Chosas plans are to become a veterinarian and return to New Mexicos pueblos to render care for rural animals.

Before she does any of that, she said, shes holding Cashmere to his deal.

Even when we were sitting at Olive Garden, we were, like, 'This food is nice but you know what we really want,' she said laughing..

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