Answer:
Having in mind that the underline word is "empathy", the most likely meaning is: understanding the feelings of others.
Explanation:
The word empathy refers to our ability to understand the feelings of others, to be sensitive to their thoughts, experiences and emotions. But, even if we did not know that definition, the context provided in the sentence would be enough to lead us to the correct answer. Maria won. Yet, she observed the losing team as they walked slowly to their bus. Notice how the sentence contrasts those two moments and the feelings Maria had. She was excited "but she could not help but have empathy." Despite her excitement, she was still able to understand how the losing team felt.
