In the first of two match ups that’ll occur between the two teams this season the Lady Blue Devils soccer team took on the Lady Hornets.

PRC welcomed the Hornets to town for the first true, competitive game of the season for the Blue Devils who had previously only played in a weekend tournament on Oct. 26.

There have been some changes in the starting line up as players have adjusted to new positions they may not have played in previous years.

Head Coach Joe Weems said his team played hard, but that the players need to do a better job of attacking open spaces left by the opponent.

“We need to look to play the ball into space more. The midfielders were sinking back on defense and not pushing the ball up the field,” Weems said.

The game went into halftime with the Hornets leading 1-0 and Weems said he was happy with how his team competed.

However, with a young squad and a lot of new starters there were bound to be some mishaps along the way.

“We know we’ll have hiccups, but we also know it’s a step by step process. We did some things better this game than the last,” Weems said.

Samantha Kennedy was dominant for the Blue Devils as she started in central defense before moving into midfield after a red card to a teammate.

Weems said Kennedy has been a key performer for the team for years and immediately made an impact when she was moved to central defense two years ago.

Kennedy, who signed with Pearl River Community College to play college soccer next year, was also a threat going forward for PRC after the red card.

“She’s really calm with the ball and is smart when she plays. Her touch has gotten better over the years and she became the anchor of our defense,” Weems said.

The Blue Devils will have another game on Nov. 8 at home against Stone.

Before then Weems wants the squad to improve on spacing and using the width of the field to attack the opposing team.

“We’ve got to play diagonal balls into space and try to get our outside midfielders up,” Weems said.

Depending on the players available, Weems may have to switch up some players’ positioning when the team takes on Stone.

The moves might have an effect on the team’s depth and considering the squad didn’t have many players on the bench their conditioning could be put to the test against Stone.

“Stone is always good, it’ll be a battle for them. It’s going to be tough. They lasted last night and I think when we get our game legs we’ll be alright,” Weems said.

The game is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. with the boys team playing at 7 p.m.