Even in a transition year, Mahtomedi girls' soccer can shine like a star-laden, veteran club.

The Zephyrs graduated 10 key players from last year's team. Most of those played three years on varsity. Six are now playing college soccer. Coping with losses to graduation is nothing new for high school teams, but the coaches were looking at a project. One that they embraced.

"We knew it was coming," coach Dave Wald said. "The coaching staff is excited because it's a huge challenge. It mixes things up."

Mixing things up a bit further were four injuries scattered throughout this past summer and into the first week of tryouts. Because of that, the Zephyrs put just four players on the field who had any varsity experience to start the season.

No big deal.

They began the season 6-0, outscoring opponents 22-2 in those matches. That doesn't mean everything's hunky dory. With new, young players comes a learning curve.

"We're kind of re-teaching what Mahtomedi soccer is," Wald said of his program. "It's a big adjustment. Our expectations for them are pretty high."

The new kids need to learn the traditions of Mahtomedi soccer. That's been a work in progress.

It became evident during their game against Hill-Murray. Veterans of the Zephyrs program know that the Pioneers and Zephyrs challenge for the Classic Suburban Conference title nearly every year. Each matchup is physical, up-tempo and filled with emotion.

The Zephyrs didn't come out that way, and it was brought up in a team meeting afterward. It was made clear that the upperclassmen need to remember that their younger teammates might not be familiar with traditional rivals. Senior captain and three-year varsity player Paige Gibson said she believes everybody will get there, with the help of leadership, team bonding and a few more games.

"A lot of it's leading by example," Gibson said. "We've been trying to play with emotion. When we do, we're pretty successful."

The Zephyrs did fall to their rivals from Hill-Murray and Woodbury, but those games will be looked at as learning experiences and rally points. There's plenty to rally around on this year's roster, including sophomore standout Chelsey Henry.

Henry, the younger sister of 2008 Ms. Soccer winner Brittany Henry, is already in her third year on varsity. She tore her ACL in the middle of the basketball season last winter and wasn't able to hit the soccer field until the very first game. She leads the Zephyrs in goals.

"This is really going to be her coming-out party," Wald said.

Gibson, Elizabeth Nelson, Natalie Donovan, Sophie Krawczyk and Megan Koenig are being looked upon as leaders to move this season from one of transition to full speed ahead. They know the presence of their jerseys carries some weight.

"There is a pressure playing at Mahtomedi. We also tell them it's also a gift," Wald said. "These older kids that have been in the program -- they know we don't accept defeat. We expect to beat any team we play."