It’s been a difficult start for the Wallkill girls’ soccer team.

After winning their season opening game, the Panthers have been struggling to find the win column until September 19, when they posted a 9-0 win over the Marlboro Dukes for their second win of the season.

They opened their season with a win over the FDR Presidents on September 5 before they were beaten by the Saugerties Sawyers to even out their Mid Hudson Athletic Record at 1-1.

They followed those two games by battling the Pine Bush Bushmen to a 1-1 tie on September 11.

“I had some hope when we tied Pine Bush,” Wallkill coach Kelly Wood said. “We played a really good game that game. We hit a few off the post and they had some chances, as well. But we should have had some more goals, but to play them through double overtime and come out 1-1 felt like a win to us.”

The good feelings didn’t last long as the Panthers suffered a 4-0 loss to Our Lady of Lourdes to finish their first round through the division, and then opened this week with a non-league loss to the Minisink Valley Warriors.

The September 19 win over the Dukes was the first time the Panthers have scored more than one goal in a game.

“We just need somebody to step up and be a killer up top,” Wood said. “We need somebody to take control of the scoring aspect and just really have some extra push to get the ball in the back of the net. We have a real good group up here, and they’re moving the ball. The chronic problem with most high school teams is not finishing, and we’re just not finishing.”

They finished against Marlboro, racking up nine goals without a single player scoring more than once.

The Panthers got goals from Alex Dembinsky, Gabriella Salese, Grace Rodriguez and Abigail Martino in the first half. Samantha Dembinsky, Aoife Brady, and Brianna Merrill added goals for the Panthers in the second half. Giada Post scored on a penalty kick.

Before scoring their first goal, the Panthers had a goal disallowed due to an offsides penalty.

The Dukes had a goal disallowed in the second half when an indirect kick went into the goal without another player touching it.

The Panthers also are playing without team captain Amy Crowley, who was out on the concussion protocol.

“Some of the other girls are filling in, and that’s always tough when you’ve got to put somebody in a spot where they’re not comfortable,” Wood said.

Their two divisional losses likely put the Panthers out of contention for a division championship, and they could face an uphill battle qualifying for the upcoming Section 9 Class AA tournament.

The Panthers rebounded on Thursday with a 2-1 win over the Red Hook Raiders as they continued their run through Division II. The Panthers will host Rondout Valley on Wednesday for their only game this week.

“At this point, we’re going to have to beat some teams just to get ourselves into sectional contention at this point,” Wood said. “We’re just plugging away. They’re practicing hard. It’s not a work ethic issue. It’s just having some trouble getting timing and getting some things down.”