The last time the Moffat County boys soccer program experienced a win in conference competition was before any of its current players or coaches were part of it.

But the Bulldogs proved Thursday afternoon that this is a new era for the blue and white.

Water bottles sprayed on the sidelines in celebration as Moffat County High School notched its first victory of the season with a 3-1 win against Colorado Rocky Mountain School — a victory that also marked the Dogs’ first ‘W’ in league play since October 2018.

Moffat has had a run of hard luck against league opponents in the 3A division, but since moving to the newly formed 2A Western Slope North League this fall, the group is showing newfound energy.

The match against the Oysters saw MCHS lead the entire game, with sophomore Xavier Ayala getting things rolling with a successful first-half penalty kick.

Senior Brandon Puentes booted another in the box before halftime, giving the team a 2-0 lead.

CRMS answered back midway through the second half with a high shot against Bulldog keeper Jesse Terry, but sophomore Osbaldo Becerra had the last goal of the day minutes before the final horn.

All told, Terry had six saves, while Ayala and Becerra each claimed an assist.

“Great competition, they brought us a good game,” Ayala said of the Oysters.

Ayala, a team captain who also took the opportunity to work in a homecoming proposal while spirits were high, noted that the win was a huge morale boost.

“Hopefully, we can make this a habit now that we’ve finally broken that curse,” he said.

The new league is a small one that includes Moffat County, Grand Valley, Caprock Academy and CRMS, with all teams facing each other twice.

The Dogs started league play Sept. 10 at home against Grand Valley, a 4-2 loss in which Ayala and Becerra each added a goal and Giovane Quezada and Alan Olivas each had an assist.

Between the two events on their own field, the Bulldogs suffered tough road losses of 9-0 to Middle Park and 10-0 to KIPP Denver Collegiate, though coach Diego Quezada noted that a new formation is yielding results, evidenced by the win over the Oysters.

“We told them, ‘Let them play around you but not through you,’ so that really started it,” he said.

MCHS will still have a hectic schedule but will only host one more home game, with Senior Night scheduled for Oct. 8 against Caprock Academy.

Coach Quezada pointed out that while dropping to 2A took some time, it was a worthwhile move to find the right level of competition for the program.

“It was a good choice. We’re competing, we’re moving forward one goal and one game at a time,” he said.

Ayala credited Quezada and his fellow coach Lupe Rodriguez with enabling the squad to have a more successful season.

“Just shows how well they’ve led us in this program and built us up,” Ayala said.