After losing eight seniors to graduation, South Whidbey girls soccer coach Paul Arand was a little apprehensive about this year’s team.

He needn’t have worried — when the girls took the field Saturday against the Wolves from Sequim, they handled the ball in fine fashion, winning 6-1.

“Sequim was lucky in their passing, but ours was a lot better,” said junior Annie Doran. “I think we’re going to have a great season; the team has been bonding well. We have some terrific players and you saw what they can do.”

Arand saw as well.

“I was pleasantly surprised we did so well against Sequim,” he said. “Overall I’m really happy with this group of girls. There’s a strong freshmen contingent and our seniors are playing above what I expected.”

Arand admitted rebuilding isn’t easy. “Our 2005 squad is hard to replace, but we’ve got some talented players,” he said.

Arand made note that Karissa Thomas, Grace Itaya, Emily Grove and Kelsie Kimmel are returning this year.

Track star Lauren Sandri provides impressive speed on defense, and Natasha Roberts has recovered from knee surgery.

Senior Amelia Cave has shouldered goalie duties.

“She did a great job clearing the ball for us on Saturday,” Arand said. “The best goalies have lots of experience. Until you get out there, you just don’t know. Things move fast at the varsity level.”

Arand, a financial manager at the private Waldorf School, is entering his eighth campaign as soccer coach.

Three years ago, the Falcons won 21 games, overcame all opposition in its’ conference with a win over Nooksack Valley, then bested Vashon Island, Ridgefield, and Eatonville at the state finals before succumbing to Connell 1-0 after a a 4-2 shootout.

“We came very close that year,” Arand said. “Moving up to the 3A level was hard for everyone but it raised the bar for our players. The change in school classification (back to 2A) won’t have any effect on how tough the competition will be.”

This early in the season, rival Cedarcrest is the team to beat.

“It’s always a little nerve-wracking playing them, there are lots of variables. And Archbishop Murphy always presents a challenge; they’re rated third in 2A,” he said.

Arand said adapting his program to deal with private schools (ATM and Kings) means being both stronger and smarter. “Good planning and preparation by the entire team will equal victory on the soccer field,” he said.

On Sept. 13 the team travels to Friday Harbor, then welcomes Kings at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19.