There’s no denying this has been a rough spring for the Moffat County girls soccer team, but with the scoreboard shifting a little more in their favor lately, the Lady Bulldogs are sticking with it all the way.

MCHS fell 9-0 in Thursday’s home game against Roaring Fork during a week that saw a couple stinging defeats but also marked improvement.

The team was coming off a 9-0 defeat April 14 in Delta, as well as an 8-0 loss in a rescheduled game April 19 against Colorado Rocky Mountain School.

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Coach Chelsea Suazo said the game against the CRMS Oysters may have been one of Moffat’s best yet, particularly the first half.

The effort carried over into the home match, though the Bulldogs’ energy faded after halftime.

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“They played really well at Tuesday’s game, but this one was a little bit rougher,” Suazo said. “They found our weakness in the middle. That’s where we’ve had a lot of lapses. They were really good at playing those through-balls, and if we weren’t stepping up and picking up in the middle, they’d find those corners.”

After a 5-0 first half, the Rams put in several more shots in quick succession at the start of the second.

Freshman goalie Ari Buchanan earned 15 saves in the game, though she noted the weather was making things more difficult.

“The wind is really hard to judge, and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m too far back or too far forward,” she said.

Suazo has been consistently pleased with Buchanan’s play against heavy shooting teams.

“That first one that went in — that’s not on her — and half of the ones that go in are second rebounds,” the coach said. “She’s been doing really well for this being her first year.”

Buchanan said playing volleyball and hoops earlier in the school year helped her agility.

“Basketball helps a lot with being goalie, like getting to the ball fast and knowing how to use your hands with it,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

Despite not seeing a win yet, Buchanan said she’s planning to keep playing in the coming years.

“I think we can build a strong team with the people we have right now,” she said. “In a few years, we can be really strong.”

Bulldog soccer has avoided being defeated via the 10-point mercy rule for most of this season, with the last occasion coming on April 2 against Grand Valley. A rematch with the Cardinals this week at home will determine how much both teams have improved.

Suazo said the morale on the field has been strong, and she expects to retain much of her young roster for next year.

“The girls who are coming out are sticking with it,” she said. “They’ve come miles. If you see game one to now, they have plenty to be proud of. It’s good to see their spirits still high.”