Central High School’s varsity soccer team lost 9-1 to visiting Prince Edward County High School on Monday. Despite the loss, Chargers coach Janet Johnson cited several reasons she was encouraged by her players’ performance in the game.

“I thought we did a fine job because, well, we haven’t won a game, but they’re not giving up, and I think their passing has improved, the defense has gelled better,” she said. “They’re talking more.”

The Chargers also scored against the elite and undefeated Eagles, getting their goal in the first half when junior Kamren Field broke through the defense.

The Eagles featured four different goal-scorers and were led by junior Alex Moller, who scored five times.

“He brought a lot of energy,” Prince Edward coach Devin Pierce said. “He brought the energy that our team lacked.”

“I made a couple good runs,” said Moller, who is from Germany and a student in the foreign exchange program.

Despite the lopsided score, Pierce saw much room for improvement in his team’s play, which he called lazy.

“It’s not about the result that we look for; it’s more about the performance, and today’s performance wasn’t good,” he said.

When Prince Edward took on the Chargers in mid-March, the Eagles won 10-0.

On Monday, “the goal against was not what we were expecting,” Pierce said.

Outside of Moller, the rest of Prince Edward’s goal tally came from junior Craig Burns, who added two, and senior Brady Atkins and sophomore Rafael Diaz, who scored one apiece. Diaz’ goal was the first of his varsity career.

For the Chargers, Johnson is guiding a young team this year that features 10 freshmen.

“And some of them have more skill than others, and so a lot of them are learning,” she said.

She highlighted the Monday performance of freshman goalkeeper Earl Ginn for his ability to come up with saves under heavy pressure. He has dealt with that consistently this season along with standout junior defender Darion Berrios.

She also highlighted the continued efforts of the Chargers’ front line — freshman Tyler Neal, junior Ben Atkins and Kamren Field.

“We’ve just got a lot of people that have their heart into it, and give it good effort, and we’ll get better,” she said.

The Eagles improved to 9-0 with Monday’s win, continuing to find success after an impressive 2015 season.

Prince Edward hosted Cumberland County High School on Tuesday and hosts Bluestone High School on Thursday. The Chargers (0-10) visit Buckingham County High School on Wednesday.