The Nansemond River girls’ soccer team beat Kecoughtan High School 5-0 to win the PenSouth conference on Tuesday.

The Lady Warriors moved up to the 5A level this season and have a record of 12-3-1. Nansemond River coach Kurt Straub thinks the new group has been good for competition.

“Moving up to a new group and not knowing much about 5A gave us the opportunity to scout some of the teams, especially Menchville, and that was the game that we focused on mainly,” Straub said. “Also, playing our district has definitely prepared us for the 5A teams.”

Scheduling has been rough due to the rain the last few weeks, which has forced the Lady Warriors to play consecutive games leading up to them winning the conference.

“We were supposed to play two games every week, but we had all of this rain, so between last Monday and yesterday, we played five games in eight and a half days, which is a lot on the girls,” Straub said.

Against Kecoughtan, Straub said, that the win came through an all-around team effort. Sarah Rhiel, Daijah Norris, Indiah Hunter, Kamarie Jewette and Claire Janek were the Lady Warriors’ five scorers for the evening.

“It was pretty much a collective effort,” he said.

Norris, Hunter and Rhiel are the team’s top scorers.

The Lady Warriors scored their first goal in the first five minutes of the game, giving them the momentum. They would eventually score about every 10 minutes after that, landing them a lead of 4-0 going into the half. They would score one more time in the second half to seal the deal.

Although the Lady Warriors won, Straub does not want the girls to get comfortable, because he has his sights on a bigger goal.

“It doesn’t stop right now,” he said. “We’ve got to keep on going. The first leg is getting the conference title; the second leg is the tournament title. And then you’ve got regionals and state.”

With seven seniors on the team and three of them starting, Straub said next year’s team will have a lot of work to do to catch up.

“It would definitely be a huge hole to fill,” he said.

But there is depth coming up from his junior and sophomore class, and that gives him high expectations going forward.

“I keep a bigger team so the girls can get playing time in those positions,” said Straub. “This way, the girls will know what to expect for next season.”

The Lady Warriors’ next game is scheduled for Monday.