Pelham girls soccer players, all too familiar with the agony of defeat, are starting to experience the thrill of victory.

The Pythons, frequently winless in recent campaigns, have won two contests in recent weeks, a small step for second-year head coach Amy Alfaro, who continues to instill a new attitude in her players.

“Last year we would lose by four goals, and they were happy. I didn’t understand it,” said Alfaro. “They’re used to losing. Until recently, none of these girls knew what it felt like to win at the high school level.”

On Friday, Oct. 9, Pelham knocked off ConVal, 1- 0, when Kayla Soares scored four minutes into the second overtime session to help the Pythons improve to 2-9 on the year.

Pelham appeared to have scored the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes remaining when Soares and Brianna Diaz converged undefended on a through-ball in front of the keeper, finding the back of the net.

The goal was disallowed thanks to an offside call by the official, and the game remained scoreless. Though Alfaro said she did not believe the offside call was correct, she said it helped her team come away with the win.

“They were frustrated,” said Alfaro. “That call fueled them, and they used it to put pressure on (for) the rest of the game.”

Gina Grimes kept the visitors off the scoreboard throughout the game, using her aggressive goalkeeping style to break up chances and preserve her first shutout of the year.

Nine minutes into the first half, Grimes stopped the best ConVal threat of the game when she extended fully and knocked a low shot wide that was headed for the lower right-hand corner of the net.

Grimes used the muddy field conditions to her advantage, constantly racing to the outskirts of the box and sliding at the feet of attackers to grab the ball before they could put shots on net.

Alfaro said while Grimes has allowed nearly five goals per contest, the freshman has shown a great deal of potential.

“I took this job last year as a favor to a friend, and that favor expires next year,” said Alfaro. “(Grimes) will be the reason I stay beyond that. When an athlete like that comes along, she just makes you want to stay and keep building.”

The keeper’s toughness is undeniable; earlier in the season Grimes suffered a gash that required multiple staples in her head, but she never noticed until the referee stopped play. Grimes had to miss two games due to the injury.

Soares’ goal came from outside the box on the left side, and it was perfectly placed into the top right corner of the net, just as she planned.

“I just want to win,” said Soares. “I was aiming for that spot, and I hit it. It was definitely the high point of the year for us.”

The two teams met again on Monday, Oct. 12, at Con- Val, where the hosts defeated the Pythons, 4-1.

During a late-September contest, Pelham was thumped by Oyster River, 6-0, but Alfaro said that was the moment she saw a change in her team. The Pythons doubled up Laconia, 4-2, in their next scheduled match.

“I’ve been telling them all year about pressuring the ball, and during that (Oyster River) game, something clicked,” the mentor said. “I tell them that when we don’t have the ball, all 11 of them are defenders. They’re starting to get that.”