GRAND JUNCTION — Successful teams bounce back from tough losses. That’s the lesson a young Grand Junction High School girls soccer team learned in Saturday’s 5-1 rout over Montezuma-Cortez Saturday at Canyon View Park.

“They decided that the other team wasn’t going to be first to the ball and they weren’t going to give up easy mistakes,” said first-year coach Adrea Tilford of the difference in the Tigers against the Panthers from Friday’s loss to Durango.

“They executed exactly the way they needed to,” Tilford explained. “They were possessing the ball and working hard.”

Grand Junction’s hard work, from Cortez’s standpoint, transformed the Tigers into ball hogs.

Except for Jackie Ramsey’s second half penalty kick score that ruined goalie Shari Yarick’s shutout attempt, the Panthers, who suffered their second loss in as many days, rarely had much time on Grand Junction’s side of the field.

Yarick was credited with four saves. None of the shots were dangerous.

Meanwhile, Grand Junction attacked Cortez’s defensive zone with a vengeance. The Tigers peppered Panther keeper Ginni Hill with 20 shots on goal.

Ashley Mumby, one of the team’s few upperclassmen, assisted on the game’s initial goal — a second-minute score by Ashley Wallace. Later, the Tigers senior upped the lead to 3-0 after netting the first of two scores Mumby had in the game when roaring in unguarded on the Panther net late in the first half.

Prior to Mumby’s goal, Kristin Ryan, who also scored in the second half, poked in a shot on a lead pass from Julie Trayer.

While the coach was pleased with the win, Tilford said the team has to continue to improve to remain successful.

“We needed to continue to work on defending set plays, winning the ball out of the air and (ball) possession, and just continuing to build as a team because we are a young team,” she said.

“(A lot of) the girls haven’t played at the varsity level until this year. They are getting to know each other, and we’re building that unity together to be successful on the field.”

Reach Phil Sandoval at psandoval@gjfreepress.com.