On paper it looked to be a rebuilding year for the Auburn Mountainview girls soccer team.

After his team reached the state 3A tournament last season and graduated seven seniors, Lions coach Cary Davidson figured it might take some time for this year’s young squad to gel.

What he wasn’t counting on was his team’s commitment to getting better this fall.

Mountainview is sitting atop the South Puget Sound League 3A standings, sharing a 4-1 league record with seventh-ranked Bonney Lake, whom the Lions beat 1-0 on Sept. 30.

“I didn’t know they (Mountainview) were going to play so hard,” Davidson said. “Anything they lack in experience they’re making up for with just sheer determination.”

For team co-captain and defender Alayna Wagers, the squad’s success is no surprise.

“We’ve worked hard,” she said. “We lost a lot of seniors, so we weren’t sure how that would work out. But we work a lot together on building each other up.”

One of the keys for this year’s squad has been its commitment to defense, led by the leadership of the Lions’ four returning seniors – Wagers, co-captains Sydney Coleman and Hillary Frett, and Jamie Byarlay.

Mountainview has compiled an 8-3 overall record this season, allowing just nine goals while scoring 21. Along the way, junior goalkeeper Jessica McAllister has notched eight shutouts for the Lions.

“There are three seniors in the back four, and we have some speed in the back,” Davidson said. “We have recovery speed, and that’s huge. And Jessica is just a solid goalkeeper. She’s just getting better.”

Davidson said the Lions’ work ethic, coupled with their strong play on the pitch, has allowed the team to overcome significant injuries. The team is without the services of defender Allison Frett and midfielder Karissa Ritter, both out for the season with ACL injuries, and forward Abi Alfrey, who is due back by the end of the season from a broken collarbone.

As good as the team has been, however, Davidson said there is room for improvement.

On Tuesday, the Lions made several miscues and lost their first league contest of the season to Decatur (3-1-1 league, 6-3-1 overall) at Federal Way, 3-1.

“We have to keep working on our (ball) possession,” Davidson said. “Getting scored on a set piece or a corner (kick) is a cardinal sin for us. So we’re going to work on that.”

Wagers agreed.

“We need to work on our passing and our possession,” she said.

The Lions travelled to Lakes (0-5 league, 3-7 overall) on Thursday night with results unavailable at press time. Mountainview will host Bonney Lake (4-1, 10-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.