The Fountain Hills High School girls soccer team showed signs of improvement this past week. They now have 12 rostered players, enough for a full team and one spare, but they were forced to play undermanned due to injury.

The Falcons moved to 0-3 after a 9-0 loss at Gilbert Classical on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and a 3-0 loss to Coolidge at home on Thursday, Dec. 8. The Falcons will practice over winter break, but they don’t have another game until Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Sophomore Zoe Kohoutek and senior Liv Sopeland were unable to play this past week, but senior Jordan Pena played her first game after missing the first two games of the season to injury. Pena impressed head coach Malcolm Cutting not just with her play on the defensive end, but with her determination in the Coolidge game.

“I love the play, the grittiness of Jordan,” Cutting said. “Someone stepped on a foot that’s been aggravating her all year, and she came back in the second half, and I mean, I couldn’t have been more proud of someone ever. She really did a nice job, considering that the person stepped right on her injury.”

Pena helped shore up the defense and is one of two seniors on the team. With her back in the lineup, Cutting was able to move players more easily to other spots around the field.

Cutting felt junior Stella Grieco had some offensive potential, so he moved her up to midfield. Cutting filled her spot on defense with sophomore Sara Dethlefs last week.

“I wanted to get [Stella] out from being on the defensive side to be more offensive, and I wanted to switch Sara back into the defense,” Cutting said. “I want them all to play in all the roles, so they know what everybody’s going through and what they have to do. If I get that, I’ve got a very versatile team that’ll be very good.”

Cutting was given more roster flexibility when sophomore Lucia Kalmbach joined the team. Kalmbach is the second addition since the start of the season along with junior Erin Hooley, and they both brought energy to the team. Kalmbach showed little rust in her first home game with the Falcons.

“Last time she played was middle school, as far as I know,” junior goalkeeper Jeneya Boone said. “But she’s played, and she’s experienced and she’s what we needed for sure.”

In Thursday’s home match against Coolidge, the Falcons kept things close. Boone allowed one goal early but kept everything else out of the goal in the first half. The Falcons also came close to scoring several times with Kalmbach, Grieco and fellow juniors Hooley and Hailey Chandler providing offensive pressure.

“I saw us working together and talking more and moving the ball where it needed to be,” Boone said. “I think we’ve gotten a lot better on working with what we have instead of focusing on the empty spots, and I think today that showed uniquely.”

Boone allowed two more goals with less than 16 minutes in the game, but she stopped her fair share leading up to that point. Boone said she’s seeing about 20 to 30 shots on goal per game, and she even switched positions with Chandler during the Gilbert Classical game last Tuesday to get a break from goalkeeping.

The Falcons have five new players on the roster this year, and several players came into the year with little or no experience. Cutting is pleased with their progress, and they improved across each of their first three games.

“They played like champions,” Cutting said. “They were outhustling the other team in the second half, and it was thrilling. They just impress me every time we go out.”

The Falcons’ first three opponents have a collective 7-1 record, so the Falcons were facing tough competition out of the gate. The Falcons will start their region schedule when they return to action to host Phoenix Country Day on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 4 p.m.