Heading into the first game against Chanhassen of the season, assistant coach Lydia Brubaker knew the girls had a challenging game ahead of them. With Chanhassen’s 3-2 record going into the game, the team would be tough to beat.

“Chanhassen is always a really quality opponent, so we needed to come ready to play really hard today, come really focused,” Brubaker said. “Like we expected, they were a quality team, so they definitely gave us a good game today.”

Although Park lost 1-0 to the Storm, junior Erin Kozlowski said she was happy with how her teammates played.

“We had some good passes and through balls to the wings, and we had a really good, solid defense,” Kozlowski said. “They did a really good job of keeping the ball out of the net, even though one did go in.”

According to freshman Vesna Dennison, the team has to play its hardest during every game, especially with a tough opponent like Chanhassen.

“Chanhassen has always been a good game. They’re a good team,” Dennison said. “Even if we’re down or if we’re winning, we still have to play our game.”

Brubaker said she was proud of how the team excelled at defense throughout the game.

“It’s really nice to see the girls playing more cohesively as a defense,” Brubaker said. “After every game, especially losses, there’s always things that we can keep working on, but I definitely saw some nice things.”

Although the team played well overall, Kozlowski said the girls still struggled to score a goal.

“We did really good, we kept possession,” Kozlowski said. “I just don’t think we could get one in the back of the net.”

Brubaker said she is optimistic about the outcome of the team’s next encounter with Chanhassen.

“It’s a bummer to come out with a loss, but we’ll keep working on it,” Brubaker said. “Weget to see these guys again,so hopefully it will be better next game.”

According to Dennison, the players will focus on improving their technique while preparing for future opponents.

“[We’ll] keep improving on fixing technical mistakes and keep going,” Dennison said. “Even if we lose, we’ll have the mentality that we’re going to win the next one.”

The team’s next game is 5 p.m. Sept. 24 at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School against Benilde-St. Margaret’s.