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The La Conner-Mount Vernon Christian girls’ soccer match at Whittaker Field Friday afternoon was essentially over within 90 seconds when Lady Hurricane standout Caitlyn Vander Kooy scored the first of MVC’s 13 goals.

But a shorthanded La Conner team, minus two injured starters and without any subs, played through the full 80 minutes to the final whistle.

“This team has some heart,” said La Conner head coach Christian Warman, who had five eighth graders and a freshman on the field opposite a Mount Vernon Christian unit that placed second at the 2019 state tournament.

La Conner was held scoreless and played much of the match on defense, defending against an MVC offensive juggernaut whose roster is filled with deft passers and talented scorers.

“They’re very good again this year,” Warman, who formerly coached at Mount Vernon Christian, said of this year’s edition of the Lady Hurricanes.

“They’re very classy. They have a number of club (select soccer) players.”

So, in the larger scheme of things, a lopsided shutout loss to MVC was nothing to be ashamed of. The Lady Hurricanes, for instance, blanked a very good Coupeville team 6-0 on Wednesday.

Despite a 13-0 final score, Warman was able to stress the positive afterward, noting that defenders Delaney Cobbs and Brandy James and goalkeeper Odessa Bates – one of La Conner’s eighth grade starters – managed to ward off a slew of MVC shot attempts.

In addition, Raegan Lee and eighth graders Kendall Lee, Lydia Grossglass and Baylee Smith were able to advance the ball on occasion.

Warman, no stranger to guiding teams on deep post-season runs, claimed a moral victory late in the match.

“I’ve never been so happy to be behind double digits,” he said as the clock wound down. “Their effort has been fantastic today, playing hard to the end with no subs.”

Mount Vernon Christian led 6-0 at the break.

For Warman, this was a match more about the future than the present. It was a chance to give playing time to young players who can help lay the foundation for better things going forward.

“The hope is,” he said, “that we can build for when we get back to a fall season. That we can pick up some of the players who didn’t play this spring and that these younger players can continue to make strides over the summer.”

In the meantime, La Conner (0-3) was scheduled to wrap up its season with two matches this week. The Lady Braves were at Coupeville Monday and visit MVC today (Wednesday) at 4 p.m.

In related news, the La Conner boys’ soccer team dropped a 6-0 decision at Orcas on Friday. The Braves (1-4-1) host Coupeville tonight (Wednesday) in Senior Night action starting at 6 p.m.