It was a tough week for the South Whidbey girls soccer team.

First, the Falcons were shut out by Cedarcrest 0-4 on Tuesday and lost junior midfielder Paige Farmer to a calf injury.

Then South Whidbey lost an early one goal lead to King’s, which scored three unanswered to beat the Falcons on Thursday.

The week isn’t over. South Whidbey travels to play Archbishop Murphy (5 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw Cascade Conference, 7-1-1 overall) on Saturday.

“We’re as ready for Archbishop Murphy as we could ever be,” said Falcon head coach Ben Rusch.

Against King’s, South Whidbey scored in the 10th minute. Senior midfielder Cortney Fredriksen broke through the Knights’ defense for a one-on-one goal against King’s keeper.

“When we scored on them, I knew the rest of the game was going to be real stressful,” Rusch said.

A series of mistakes and defensive lapses cost the Falcons the lead around the 25th minute. Within a few minutes, the Knights had scored three goals.

“That’s really all it takes,” Rusch said. “And then that happens.”

King’s and South Whidbey had similar records (2-3-0) in Cascade Conference games before Thursday’s match. Last year, the Knights scored 15 goals against the Falcons. Against a new Knights team, and with the Falcons’ new coach, the outcome was anyone’s guess.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Rusch said. “I knew it was going to be a tough game.”

With Farmer unavailable because of a calf injury, Fredriksen was able to play offense more. Playing the center line in Fredriksen’s place was sophomore midfielder Maddie Boyd. Farmer’s return date is unknown.

“Farmer is a big help to the offense,” Rusch said. “She works a lot and she’s real aggressive. Cortney is really good, too. She worked hard and it paid off against King’s and she got herself a goal.”

Neither team scored in the second half. Rusch said he kept the team’s personnel the same as the first half, and had the Falcons stick to the same plan.

A contest earlier in the week had a different story, with a similar outcome.

Cedarcrest beat South Whidbey 4-0 on Tuesday.

The Red Wolves were led by Maggie Pleis, who scored three goals.

“They have some of the best players in the state on their team,” Rusch said. “I think they’re all premier D-I players.”

South Whidbey’s offense suffered against a stifling, physical defense from Cedarcrest.

“It’s hard to generate an offense against that team because they’re in your face,” Rusch said.

South Whidbey plays Archbishop Murphy today at 2 p.m. in Everett.