Absent a few small errors, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls’ soccer team might have finished last week with two victories.

Mental mistakes and a few key injuries plagued the Panthers as the team finished 0-1-1 after a loss to Durango and a tie with Alamosa.

Panthers’ defense strong in loss to Durango

After tying 0-0 with Durango earlier this season, the Panthers hit the road to face the Demons on April 17 and again played well.

Two early Durango goals haunted the Panthers, as the team’s offense struggled to find a rhythm and the game remained scoreless the rest of the way.

“We just had some mental errors defensively, and the ball did not bounce our way,” said Panthers’ head coach Nathan Ross.

Contributing to the Panthers loss was an ankle injury to Kenna Tarr, which forced the senior midfielder to sit out the second half.

“I had to make adjustments with some younger girls,” said Ross. “They stepped up and played their hearts out. They just couldn’t put it in the back of the net.”

“We played one of the better games in Durango that we’ve ever played,” said the Panthers coach. “In previous years, we’ve gotten blown out in Durango.”

Panthers stung by lack of depth, tie with Alamosa

Returning to action on April 19 with a road matchup against Alamosa, the Panthers got off to a hot start before settling for a 1-1 tie.

Scoring early in the first half for M-CHS was Abby Trulesen, whose solid individual effort that put the Panthers ahead, 1-0.

Alamosa quickly recovered however, tying the game 1-1, before both teams fought to a stalemate for the remainder of the contest.

“We didn’t play our best game,” said Ross. “We came out flat. Defensively, we played well, but we only had twelve girls and that’s always tough.”

With their record now at 2-7-3 on the season, the Panthers will hit the practice field before returning to action at home against Fruita on April 25.