The bad news for the Ballard High School girls soccer team is it lost 7-2 to Skyline High School Oct. 5. The good news is, those two goals were the first scored against Skyline all year, and the team has now completed a truly brutal stretch of opponents in the first half of the KingCo season.

Coming into Tuesday's competition, Skyline was averaging 3.25 goals per match with no goals against. Ballard sophomore Kat Anesini ended that streak almost immediately with her goal in the 14th minute.

But, Skyline wasn't ready to make it that easy for the Beavers. It went on to score five unanswered goals spanning halftime, including two from Madi Barney.

Ballard senior Crickett Harber answered with a goal in the 64th minute, but it wouldn't be enough as Skyline closed out the match with two more goals.

Skyline's Maddie Christ gave the Beavers trouble all match and finished with one goal and four assists.

The loss dropped Ballard to 1-4-0 in KingCo and 1-7-3 overall and added to Skyline's unbeaten record. But, the loss also marked the midpoint of the KingCo season, and the Beavers' schedule lightens up considerably in the coming weeks.

Ballard's opponents through the first five matches of the KingCo season have a combined conference record of 15-3-3 and an overall record of 29-7-7. If you remove Garfield, the lone Ballard victory, from that list, the combined records are a staggering 15-0-3 in KingCo and 29-3-3 overall.

That means Ballard's four conference losses have come against opponents who have yet to lose a KingCo match.

The combined records of Ballard's next four opponents are 2-15-3 in KingCo and 8-23-8 overall – a much more welcoming sight – before the Beavers finish up the regular season against a tough Bothell team.

Coach Val Seid said he sees more wins in the Beavers' future now that the first half of the schedule is behind them.

Ballard's second half of the KingCo season starts at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at the North East Athletic Complex against Redmond High School (1-4-0 in KingCo).