For the first 20 minutes, the Capital City Cavaliers were living on the offensive end of the field Thursday night.
They had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
The Cavaliers remained on that end the remainder of the first half. And it showed up with three goals on the scoreboard as Capital City posted a 4-1 victory in Central Missouri Activities Conference action against Battle at Capital City.
"We built into it," Capital City coach Travis Cairer said. "I just wish we would have done it a little earlier."
Capital City knocked that zero off the board when Clayton Hamler got the ball on a break in space, then dribbled a couple of times before finding the back of the net on the seventh shot of the game for the Cavaliers.
"When he gets the ball in space like that, we get excited to see what's going to happen," Cairer said. "We want the ball at his feet in space because we know there's a pretty good chance something good will happen."
Nate Wilbanks then tallied two goals in the final 12 minutes of the half.
The first came when a shot bounced off the hands of the Battle keeper and Wilbanks was there to put back the rebound. Wilbanks then ended a scramble in front of the Battle net that started when a Capital City bounced off the right post.
"The first thing Nate said when he came over to the bench was, 'I'm in the right place at the right time tonight,' with a big ol' smile on his face," Cairer said.
The Cavaliers ended the first half with a 12-1 edge in total shots.
Battle came out with a more physical brand of play to start the second half and it showed in Capital City's play. It was about 12 minutes into the half before the Cavaliers managed a shot.
"We were on our heels, we were in a shell," Cairer said. "It's not what I expected."
Battle got on the board when Ismail Senga broke free to score about 10 minutes into the half.
The Spartans had a great chance to cut the deficit to one goal about three minutes later. After making a save, Cavaliers keeper Cuah Vertiz-Cruz turned the ball over in front of the net, then was forced to make a sprawling save to his left.
"We were messing with him, telling him he didn't need to give them the ball like that just to make another save," Cairer said.
That play seemed to pull the momentum back to the side of Capital City. The Cavaliers added an insurance goal late on a shot by Kory Smith that Battle's keeper got his hands on, but got behind him and bounced just past the goal line.
"It's a win and I don't want to downplay it, but I was disappointed in the way the flow of the game went, not in any of the players," Cairer said. "We've had better flow than that and to come out and not really click was disappointing."
Battle is now 0-2, 0-1 in the conference.
Capital City (1-2, 1-1) will play its third CMAC game in four days today when it hosts Hickman.
"We will have to pick it up (tonight)," Cairer said. "If we are back on our heels, they will take it to us. If we come out firing, we can make it game. If we don't, it won't be."
In Thursday's JV game, limited to one half, Capital City posted a 5-0 victory.