VALLEY — The Valley girls soccer team lost 10-0 against Elmore County on Thursday night. The match was stopped with 11:57 to go in the second half. It was the second match that was stopped this week after the Rams fell 10-0 to Prattville Christian in the 34th minute of the second half on Monday.

“I thought they played pretty well at times,” Valley girls head soccer coach Travis Engram said. “When we lost the midfield, that’s when we gave up goals. We struggled a little bit on defense. We’re trying a new defensive formation, there’s a little bit of a learning curve there, but we’re trying to get more midfield possession. We’re giving up a little bit on defense and we struggled.”

Valley sophomore Kylee Smith took one of the Rams’ better-looking shots on goal with 35 minutes remaining in the second half. Five minutes later, Elmore County scored to push the lead to 5-0.

Elmore county scored again on a deep shot in the right corner of the box at the 23:33 second-half mark. Shortly after the goal, another Valley player went down on the field with an injury. Valley came into the contest with a shorter bench than usual because some players were participating with other sports on Thursday night, Engram said.

Multiple Rams went down with injuries in Thursday’s contest, and when teammates instructed other players to take a knee until the injured player was assisted off of the ground, Valley senior Dakota Jones admitted on the field that she was so banged up that she wouldn’t be able to get back up if she took a knee.

“They’re a really good team, and they weren’t trying to hurt anybody,” Jones said. “I used to play on the co-ed team against big guys and I’m five-foot, so I had to learn to be really tough. I’m trying to check that, but I kept checking girls and they realized that they could check me too. We were bodying each other a lot and getting really rough, honestly, I’m proudly not going to move for the next three days, but it was a really fun game. That’s why I love the sport. 

“I love getting pushed around and being able to push other people around. It was tough, but it was worth it.”

The Rams have been outscored 2-36 in the program’s first four games in the inaugural season. Jones said that there is only one thing to do moving forward this year.

“Keep smiling, that’s a big one because ‘fake it ‘till you make it,’” Jones said before letting out a laugh.  “Stay positive, keep a 0-0 mindset and try to get ready for the next game. Don’t let the last one drag you down, just move on. We’re a brand-new team. Games are going to games, loses are going to be loses. Yeah, it’s going to hurt, but we need to move on from that and focus on what’s to come.”

Valley plays its first road game of the season on March 14 at Holtville.