The Jefferson City Jays were on the short end when it came to experience last season in soccer.
The script is flipped this year.
"We were pretty young last year and things didn't always line up for us because it seemed most of the really good teams we played were senior-laden," Jays coach Scott Blake said. "Now we're the older team, the team with more seniors.
"So it's time to see what we can do."
That will start today when Jefferson City travels to St. Louis to take on defending Class 4 state champion C.B.C.
The Jays return seven starters from a team that finished 16-7-1 last year. There are 15 seniors on the roster, 13 of which saw time on the varsity.
That experience could have the Jays experimenting with some different things this season.
"We are seasoned and we can take the chains off of them and let them go," Blake said. "They have played so much together, there's such a good connection, they know what the other one is going to do. We have a very good technical base, we've been through the grind of a tough season, they know what to expect."
Not that any potential change in formation will be the magic elixir.
"I'm a firm believer the formation, the shape you play, doesn't make the team. It's the players that make the team," Blake said, "You can play different formations that will allow you to do a little bit more, but if you don't have the players, the shape doesn't matter."
The Jays figure to be a good defensive squad again this season.
Nick Ryan returns in goal for the Jays after posting 13 shutouts last season.
"He had a really nice junior year," Blake said. "He was an X- factor for us, we were a young team and he kept us in games.
"He's got experience in front of him and I expect him to go up at least another level."
The Jays had four games go to penalty kicks last season and Jefferson City won all of them.
"He was good, really good," Blake said.
The veteran group in front of Ryan includes seniors Joe Wilder, Peter Kuster, Tanner Haugen and Aiden Propost. Wilder, Kuster and Haugen all started last year.
Chad Hamler, a senior, returns as a starter in the midfield along with senior Tucker Jett. David Wilder, a senior, also will start in the midfield. Joe Wilder could also move to the midfield when needed.
The duo of Brendan Drury and Max Allen, both seniors who started last year, will go up front. Mason York, another senior, is a reserve forward.
Two could be the magic number for the Jays this season. Scoring is often a question for the Jays, including last year, when they averaged about 1.5 goals a game.
"I'd like to get to two," Blake said. "I think with our emphasis on defense, the ability we've shown to get shutouts, if we can get to two, I like our chances to get a win.
"We can win 1-0. But if we get two, we will be a tough team to beat."
After today's game at C.B.C., the Jays return home to host Father Tolton on Thursday and St. Louis University High next Saturday.
"After that, we should have a very good sense of what we can do as a team," Blake said. "Every year, on our schedule, you have to defend. We will put that as a premium at the start of the year, with the hope we can do more as the season progresses."
Blake is entering his second season as head coach of the Jays.
"We kept the style pretty much the same," Blake said. "I tried to keep the transition as easy as I could. But this year, I think the little changes I've made, and they're probably going to look subtle to most people, are coming to reality.
"I know I feel more comfortable this year."
Today's JV game will start at 10:30 a.m., with the varsity contest to follow around 12:15 p.m.
Correction: In the original version of this story, Chad Hamler of the Jefferson City Jays was incorrectly listed as a junior on the soccer team. Hamler is a senior. The text has since been corrected to reflect that.