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Even though the Springwood girls’ soccer team lost 4-0 to Northside Methodist on Tuesday, head coach John Lanier has continued to see his group improve in their first year.

“We had lots of progress from Saturday [‘s 8-0 loss to Northside],” Lanier said. I liked the intensity. I liked the aggression that they showed out there. I’m very proud of the way they played.”

The Wildcats fell behind early, as an own goal put the Knights up a goal with 33 minutes left to play in the first half.

The Knights found the back of the net eight minutes later to give them a 2-0 lead with 25 minutes left in the first half. They scored for the third time about 10 minutes later, giving them a 3-0 lead, which they took into the half.

In the first half, the Wildcats struggled to keep the ball on the opposing side and holding onto the possession.

In the second half, the Wildcats came out with their initial game plan, but they were able to hammer in some details in the halftime break. They allowed one more goal in the second half, but they were able to push the ball ahead and have a couple of scoring opportunities for their forwards.

“They cut out some of the mistakes that led to the goals in the first half,” Lanier said. “

Defensively, the Wildcats improved in the second half as they were able to swarm to the ball and close off chances in their own box, putting a lot of bodies between the goal and the ball.

“They just reacted to the situations that were there,” Lanier said. “We were trying to use our speed on the attack. Defensively we were trying to stay compact.”

Keeper Ashley Fuller was a big reason the Wildcats were able to stay in the game. She was able to move the defense around her effectively in the second half, helping to limit the Knights to just one goal.

“She’s been a rock out there at keeper,” Lanier said.

The Wildcats will host their second game of the week on Friday.