East senior Audrey Gibb said it's why she plays, why she loves the sport of soccer — the chance that one mistake can cost you a game.

Or in the Leopards' case, a season.

East shared the Region 6 title with Bountiful, giving the Leopards five consecutive region titles. But for the fourth consecutive season, the postseason delivered disappointment.

"That's the beauty of soccer," Gibb said, a week after East's 1-0 loss to eventual champion Timpanogos in the Class 4A semifinals. "Sometimes it doesn't turn out for you. That's why you love it and that's why you hate it as well. It's you working your hardest and if you work your hardest, hopefully it will work out for you.

"In our case, it hasn't."

It appeared the door was open for East to break through and claim its first state title since 2004 when Bonneville — the team that sent the Leopards packing in the semifinals each of the previous three years — lost to Skyline in the first semifinal.

But Timpanogos slammed that door shut with a second-half goal that held up as the game-winner. Timpanogos went on to defeat Skyline in the final, marking the third time in four seasons that East has been eliminated by the state champion.

"We just didn't get a bounce," junior Madison Roemer said. "We played a good game, I think we controlled the game. They got a lucky bounce, I think. They took the opportunity and we didn't."

Both Gibb and Roemer said that seeing Bonneville lose in the game before theirs had no effect on their play in the semifinal.

"There was a different feeling going into state this year," Roemer said. "But I think losing to Bonneville in the past made us want to play them."

Coach Rudy Schenk said that despite the loss, the 2011 season exceeded his expectations.

"If you'd have told me we'd be region champs and make the semifinals at the beginning of the season, I would have said, 'Wow, OK,' " Schenk said. "The flip side of that is in the semifinal game, I thought we were really playing great and really dominating the game, but we made one mistake and they slipped a goal in and that's all it took.

"It's one of those 'what might have been' deals. On one hand, I'm very happy with the season, on the other hand I thought we could have won that last game."

Schenk said he thought the 2010 team might have been the school's best over the past four years — three players went on to play at Division I colleges — and already is looking ahead to the challenges of 2012.

Those include replacing five starters, including four on the back line and in goal, where Alex Noord recorded four shutouts this season.

Roemer and Peti Manu, a transfer from Highland, will be back at forward, and Maddie Whitney is expected back after her season was cut short by injury.

"The bar is set high, but every year we reach it," Roemer said. "Next year can't be any different. I think we have to expect a lot from our younger girls, but we'll figure it out." —

Leopards see success

East won a share of its fifth consecutive Region 6 title this season.

The Leopards' 1-0 loss to Timpanogos last week was their fourth consecutive defeat in the Class 4A semifinals.

East loses five starters to graduation, but should return forwards Madison Roemer and Peti Manu, among others.