Mount Si’s girls’ soccer team was seen as a possible league title contender coming into this season, but after last week’s play, that honor may not come that easy.

The Wildcats struggled in a game last Thursday, Sept. 23, at Mount Si High School against the Juanita Rebels, falling 4-0 to a Juanita team that is developing into one of the best in the league. Tori Lee, Kaila Bass and Karissa Radke each had a goal and assist to help the Rebels efforts as they dominated from the outset of the contest.

“We’ve got to get better. That’s the only good news that can come from this. We can only get better from here on out,” said Mount Si coach Darren Brown.

The scoring opened in the 28th minute, as Rebel Haili Adams won a footrace with two Mount Si defenders and goalkeeper Carly Weidenbach for the ball in front of the Mount Si net, and proceeded to rip it past the Wildcat senior into the back of the net to put Juanita on top.

Lee took a feed from Radke in the 35th minute off a corner kick and fired it top shelf over Weidenbach to make it 2-0. Mount Si made a goalkeeper change to start the second half, but sophomore Courtney Cowan fared no better against the Rebel onslaught. In the 52nd minute, Bass reeled in a pass from Lee and blasted it past Cowan to extend things to 3-0. Two minutes later in the 54th, Radke was the recipient of a Bass feed which the Rebel then fired into the net past Cowan to make it 4-0.

The loss to Juanita came off a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss, also at Mount Si, to Lake Washington last Tuesday, Sept. 21, in which the Kangs scored the game’s lone goal in extra time after being stymied all game long by the Wildcat goaltending tandem. Cowan, in particular, made several spectacular saves during the second half to keep Mount Si in the contest and force the extra session.

The intangibles, specifically team unity, are the main culprit, according to Brown.

“We have some good players; it’s just we haven’t learned to trust in each other and to play with each other yet,” he said. Brown expects things will improve, but it will just take time.

“We’re going to take this as steps as we go along and just try to improve each day and hope we get this ship turned around,” the coach said.

Mount Si, 1-3 in league and 3-3 overall, plays Bellevue at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, at Mount Si High School.