Facing the biggest rival and toughest competition of the year in the fourth game of the season is a mountainous task for any team, especially for a younger team with players who have never experienced rivalry game. Manhattan High School’s girls Varsity soccer team faced just that challenge in their away game against Washburn Rural Thursday night.

Manhattan fell 0-4 to Washburn in a difficult game for the team who lacked experience in tough games this season.

“We’ve been playing teams and beating them 10-0,” junior Addy Stone said, “so when we got to Washburn we were still in that 10-0 stage.”

Stone, playing her third year starting on Varsity, left the game ten minutes in with a knee injury. Without Stone playing forward Manhattan lacked someone who was able to get the ball through Washburn’s tough line of defense. Stone’s absence, a head injury to freshman defender Kira Schartz and a Washburn goal in the first 30 seconds of the game proved to be too much for the team to get over.

“We just didn’t feel like we could come back from it,” junior Kendra Geisbrecht said. “Our captains were all still talking, but we all kind of, just mentally, weren’t there for the game.”

Despite the hard loss Manhattan is not letting it faze them as they now turn to the rest of the season.

“Our goal this whole season was to step out and beat Washburn,” Geisbrecht said, “and every season we have these little bumps that come that we have to push through. This was only our fourth game so we haven’t really had time…to figure everything out and how we work as a team.”

The team is also looking to work on and change how they will play against the tougher teams this season

“I think we’re going to change up our formation more so that we can figure out what will help us best in attacking,” junior Tessa Irvine, a captain, said.

Manhattan will be able to see if its changes and work following the loss will pay off in their three games this week versus Emporia, Seaman and Blue Valley Stilwell.

“I feel like Emporia tomorrow won’t really be a challenge,” Stone said. “Seaman will always be a test and Blue Valley Stilwell will be our second big game of the season. It’s just time to get into the mindset like it’s go time.”

Manhattan will play Emporia on April 11 at Bishop stadium at 6:45.