Washington’s Alexis Edwards stumbles attempting to gain possession of the ball. Photo by KCII Sports Director Nate Gonner

The early season struggles for the Washington Demon girls’ soccer team (0-4) spilled over into their Southeast Conference opener Thursday afternoon. The Demons welcomed the Fairfield Trojans (3-0) to Washington High School and saw the Trojans leave town with a 6-0 victory.

Washington’s defense had trouble stopping Trojan freshman Kristin Burnstedt. Burnstedt put four goals in the back of the net, three in the first half, to help Fairfield stay undefeated on the young season. Two of Burnstedt’s goals came minutes apart in the 37th and 38th minutes to extend a 2-0 first half lead into a 4-0 halftime advantage.

Washington head girls’ soccer coach Kyle Collins says his team needs to get off to better starts in games, “Everybody needs to be on the same page, and to be ready to play as a team.” Collins said, “You get four girls hustling at the beginning for 15 minutes, then they quit hustling and five more girls start hustling. It needs to be a team effort.”

Washington’s offensive woes continued Thursday, being shut out for the first time this season. In three games this week, the Demons have been outscored 25-2.

The loss drops the Demon girls’ soccer team to 0-4 on the season. Washington continues end their conference homestand Tuesday afternoon, hosting the Keokuk Chiefs at 4:30 p.m.