With the graduation of six of its top players, the 2009 soccer season was already looking like an uphill climb for the Ambridge girls' team.

Then the mountain to climb got a whole lot steeper when returning center back Abbie Burton tore her ACL at the start of the summer. She's out for the season. Then center midfielder Kayla Purnell went out for the season with a torn labrum.

Just like that, before even playing a regular season game, Ambridge had lost the center pieces of its defense and midfield in Burton and Purnell.

The combination of graduation and injuries left Ambridge without its eight top players from a year ago and with only two girls who play soccer throughout the year. The Bridgers will be going against teams in competitive Section 7-AAA that have up to 20 individuals who play the sport year round.

Fourth year coach Gary Helsel, a former boys' coach at the school for five years and men's coach at Geneva College, says this is the most starters he has had to replace entering a season.

"Basically we have almost a completely new starting team," Helsel said. "We are still trying to figure out who is going where. There are a lot of questions."

Still, Helsel sees the potential in his lineup that features three freshman and two sophomores.

"I think we are going to be pretty strong in the back," he said. "In our first two games it was interesting to see how the young players that didn't play varsity before would react. There was no quit in them, it was frustrating at times but they kept going, they never quit."

It did not take long for the young roster to be challenged in tight games. In the tournament Ambridge hosted, the Bridgers faced Quigley Catholic in the season opener for both teams. Junior Sam Santiago found the net with less than two minutes to play to break a scoreless tie and propel Ambridge to a season opening win.

In the second game of the tournament, Ambridge was once again in a scoreless tie in the waning minutes. This time it was the opponent, Burrell, that capitalized late in the game to win, 1-0.

Corie McGill, the returning starter in goal, played key roles in both games holding Burrell scoreless for more than 87 minutes and also shutting out Quigley in a game where she had to make a diving save on a free kick late on a shot that made it past the wall of defenders and nearly into the corner of the net.

McGill, along with defender Carley Kordas, are Ambridge's two starters who play soccer throughout the year. The other returning starters are defender Trisha Rosinsky, midfielder Allie Bunney and Santiago, who starts at forward. Bunney was a starter at forward last season but with so many holes to fill around the field Helsel moved her to midfield.

With four goals last season Santiago is the leading returning scorer on an Ambridge team that has to replace more than 80-percent of its scoring.

Last season Ambridge went 10-8 but missed the playoffs due, in large part, to a late- season section skid that saw the Bridgers lose its final four section games. It was a disappointing finish for Ambridge considering it started 4-1 in section play.

"I think in terms of last season the girls have pretty short memories," Helsel said.

"This year I think staying together and compact on defense and finishing our scoring chances ... that might be where we struggle the most."

After starting 1-1 in non-section play Ambridge was set to start its section schedule with a home game against Montour last night. On Monday, the Bridgers play at West Allegheny before returning home to play Chartiers Valley Wednesday.