It's early April, not the middle of May. Wins and losses don't really matter right now.
"I love to win, everybody loves to win, but we're not worried about it right now," Helias coach Brad Dempsey said Monday after the Lady Crusaders dropped a 3-2 decision to St. Dominic at the 179 Soccer Park.
"We're playing a lot of the best teams in Class 3 and in Class 4 and we're competing and that's the important thing right now. We know we're going to improve throughout the season. Are we happy with the result? No. But we're going to get better."
Helias, now 3-4 on the season, led 1-0 at the half before St. Dominic came back to send the game into extra time tied at 2.
A little more than three minutes into overtime, Lauren Jones of St. Dominic drove to the end line with the ball. The senior then found an open Sydney Gorman on the other side of the net, who twisted around and lofted a shot into the upper corner of the goal to end it.
"I don't even know if she was really trying to shoot it or just wanted to put something on net," Dempsey said. "But that young lady made a play."
After a quiet first half, Jones gave Helias fits in the second and in overtime with her deep runs into the Lady Crusader end of the field.
"She's a nice player, she's physical with good technical skills and she was taking it at us." Dempsey said.
Helias was coming off a four-day break between games. Earlier Monday, Dempsey said the team changed some formations to better fit the personnel of the team.
"We adjusted and played well," he said.
Helias got on the board midway through the opening half. After St. Dominic was whistled for a foul, Casey Linsenbardt booted the ensuing free kick into the top of the net.
"That was a great shot," Dempsey said.
Later in the half, Helias keeper Ashely Rehagen stopped a penalty kick and St. Dominic had another shot bounce off the post.
"When you get up 1-0, there are a lot of times that will be enough," Dempsey said. "But St. Dominic has a lot of great players and they didn't give up."
St. Dominic came out with renewed energy on the offensive end in the second half. They tied it 14 minutes into the half on a goal by Kirsten Lepping, then took the lead eight minutes later on a score from Madeline Bauer.
Helias answered three minutes later when Kayla Yanskey chipped a shot over the top of the St. Dominic keeper. Hannah Crane got an assist on the play.
Helias was shorthanded for the game after losing starting forward Sydnee Kliethermes to a pre-game ankle injury, then saw the other starting forward Morgan Rundle leave the field in the opening minutes of the second half with concussion-like symptoms.
"We just need to continue to develop, to grow as a team, and we'll be fine," Dempsey said.
St. Dominic, which defeated Helias in the Class 2 state championship game in 2013, is now 4-2.
Helias is scheduled to host Rolla on Wednesday. Helias has beaten Rolla in the district title game the past two seasons.
In Monday's junior varsity game, St. Dominic blanked Helias 6-0.