The Cottonwood girls' soccer team didn't have much to say Thursday after its 1-0 win over Hunter.

Sarah Taylor scored in the opening five minutes to give the Colts an early cushion. In the backfield, sophomore sweeper Katie Jones was keeping balls away from the Colts' net.

"It was a pretty good game for us," coach Abby Stafford said.

From start to finish, the Wolverines' spotty defense and general hesitation gave the Colts free reign for numerous scoring opportunities.

Add in Jones' backfield footwork and the Wolverines never really had a chance.

"It was definitely our defense that sealed the deal," Jones said. "We're playing well in the back and now we're really figuring out how to play well together on the whole field."

Ten second-half shots on goal indicated as much. Freshman Brooke Evans led the charge, dodging defenders and finding open paths to the goal on nearly every touch.

The fact that none of those attempts hit the net was of little concern.

"Our offense is getting better every day," Jones said. "We know we'll keep getting those shots and start to hit them."

Hunter's best chance to even the score came in the 30th minute, when two charging Wolverines nearly knocked the ball loose from Cottonwood goalkeeper Miranda Newsome as she came out of the box to chase the roll. But ultimately, Hunter couldn't keep pace with the Colts' pace.

"We cleared the balls away. We played aggressive," Stafford said. "Now we get back to work."