Jessica McAllister loves denial.

For the Auburn Mountainview senior goalkeeper, nothing is sweeter than facing down an opposing forward one-on-one with the game on the line and sending her home disappointed.

“I love when there is a really hard shot, and I’m like Superman in the air, I save it,” McAllister said. “I love it.”

So far this season, the Lions’ co-captain has had a lot to love. In the team’s first four matches, McAllister has been untouchable between the pipes, not allowing a single goal in 320 minutes of play and leading the squad to a 4-0 start.

“She’s matured this year. She just doesn’t make too many mistakes,” coach Cary Davidson said. “She’s calm in the net this year, too. It’s huge because defensively they have confidence in her. They don’t have to worry about her. They can direct balls back to her and they can be confident she’s going to do something positive with them. And I think she’s going to help keep us in games when we’re struggling with scoring. She’s going to keep us in it until the end.”

For Auburn Mountainview, which returns a young lineup with just seven seniors, that maturity will be crucial.

“We have some starters who are sophomores and juniors, but we’re young,” Davidson said. “We normally only have two or three seniors on the field at any time.”

For McAllister, who currently plays club ball with Crossfire Premiere, it all started on the soccer pitch when she was 10.

“I started as a midfielder and played that for two years,” McAllister said. “Then they needed a goalie and asked, ‘Who wants to be a goalie?’ And then they forced me.”

At first, McAllister was reluctant to get in front of the net.

“I wasn’t in the best shape then,” she said.

She soon began to get a feel for her new position.

“It was me and another girl, and I just eventually became better than her,” McAllister said. “It took two years, and then I really started getting private training (with Synergy soccer in Auburn). Then I went to Emerald City where the (University of Washington) boys goalie trainer (Matthew Olson) is. That was really hardcore training.”

As a freshman, McAllister made the Lions varsity squad, and by the time she was a sophomore, she was sharing time in goal with Deanna Colburn. Last season, the gig became hers, and she stepped up by notching 10 shutouts and helping the team to a 9-6-3 overall record.

This year, she looks even better and is getting attention from universities such as Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth in Spokane. For the Lions, the improvement in goal is key for a team that is looking for a little time to get its offense to gel.

“We’re trying to figure out where goals are going to come from, but I think they’re going to come from a lot of places,” Davidson said.

In addition to the offensive output of senior forward Sara Jennings, who Davidson calls “a dynamic player who makes things happen,” the Lions will look to sophomore forward Delene Coburn to put a few into the net.

“She’s emerging and learning how to play,” Davidson said. “She’s got potential. She has a lot to learn, but she’s powerful, aggressive with good speed.

Beyond Colburn and Jennings, the team looks to spread the scoring around.

“It’s going to come from everybody, it’s going to come from everywhere,” Davidson said. “There is a good camaraderie, and they’re tough and really hard workers.”

Which gives Davidson hope that the team will be able to find its stride offensively.

“They’re very coach-able, so there is no question they’ll get better throughout the season and that’s what you want,” Davidson said. “The biggest thing we need to do is play with more confidence when we have the ball. That’s the biggest thing. Our attacking and our passing need to have more confidence. I think it can. They just need to believe in themselves more than they do. If that happens, I think we’ll see a difference in our attack.”

McAllister, who along with fellow co-captains Jennings and senior midfielder Heather Odell will lead the team this season, is optimistic that Auburn Mountainview could compete in the South Puget Sound League 3A and hopefully move on to the state playoffs.

“We lost a couple good players, but we picked up a couple good players as well,” McAllister said. “We’re going to do well this season. I want to win the league and go to state, and of course I hope we win state.”